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SamTrans > General Information > Board of Directors and Citizens Advisory Committee Meetings > Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - April 9, 2003

Committees and Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - April 9, 2003

SAMTRANS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
2nd FL. AUDITORIUM
1250 SAN CARLOS AVENUE, SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA

Board of Directors
Community Relations
Finance
Legislative
Planning and Development

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
(Accessibility, Senior Services, and Community Issues)

Committee Members Present: Jerry Hill (Committee Chair), Albert Teglia

Committee Member Absent: Shirley Harris

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: John Barbour, Michael Guingona, Jim Hartnett, Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Pledge of Allegiance
Board Chair Guingona led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Director Hill called the meeting at 2:02 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Community Relations Committee Meeting of March 13, 2003
The Committee (Lloyd/Teglia) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Appointment of Citizens Advisory Committee Members
The Committee (Teglia/Barbour) recommended approval of the appointments of the following:
  1. Jeff Carter and Kenneth Feldstein - to represent the Community
  2. Mary Lou Ciranni - to represent the Multimodal Riders
  3. Pamela Hitchcock, Molly Kennedy, and Michael Lumsden - to represent the Bus Riders
PCC, Advocacy and ATAC Reports
Bill Welch, Manager, Accessible Transit Services, reported on the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a contractor to streamline the eligibility certification process for Redi-Wheels service applicants. He credited the Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) staff, particularly its Review Committee, for working very closely with SamTrans staff in defining the principles that would underlie these improvements. The goal is to make the service more efficient, yet customer friendly.

Mr. Welch also reported on the demonstration project that is starting this Friday regarding the arrival and pick-up schedule of Redi-Wheels customers. When buses do not arrive at the appointed time, customers walk away, resulting to a customer no-show. This negatively affects the efficiency of the system because customers do not get the service they need. Under this project, a cell phone will be used by a driver to call customers and inform them of the time of arrival. The cell phones will be programmed not to accept incoming calls. They will be limited to phone numbers of their customers in the manifest.

Director Hill questioned how the drivers would handle the additional work of calling the customers and hoped that they would not do it while driving. Mr. Welch responded that the drivers would do the calling when they are at a stop for the last pick up or drop off and they will not start driving until they make that call. Follow-up calls will not be done while driving.

Dale Edwards, Chair, Paratransit Coordinating Council, thanked General Manager/CEO Michael Scanlon and Chief Operating Officer Chuck Harvey for attending yesterday's PCC meeting to speak about the proposed Redi-Wheels certification process. Both of them listened to the PCC's concerns. He said the PCC will continue to work with SamTrans staff in developing the criteria for contracting a third party who will formulate the details of the certification process. The goal is to insure that this process is customer friendly and make sure that transportation service is available to the residents of San Mateo County. Toward this end, Tina Dubost, Accessibility Coordinator, gathered a list of all available transportation services offered throughout the county. The PCC will be working with Ms. Dubost to update and refine the list, which will be distributed to all PCC members and would be posted on the PCC website.

To assist in the reauthorization of Measure A, Carole Groom of the PCC was assigned liaison to the Samceda Measure A Committee.

Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Liaison Report
Mary Lou Ciranni, CAC Chair, reported that at the Committee's meeting -
  1. Jacob Avidon of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) gave a presentation on the Translink system. This presentation was important because the CAC subcommittee is proposing a seamless and inexpensive fare. The CAC would not want to pursue anything that the MTC had already accomplished. Also, the subcommittee wants to learn if they could interface ideas with the MTC on their future system updates.
  2. The Committee is still looking forward to a joint meeting with the Caltrain and Transportation Authority CACs to learn the basics of Measure A and to discuss how they could all help in getting the measure extended.
  3. She held in abeyance the establishment of new CAC subcommittees because it is not advisable at this time. The CAC has many subcommittees that are reporting every meeting.
Presentation on BART Performance
Chuck Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, reported:
  1. Loss of BART ridership is beginning to flatten and level off.
  2. Average weekday ridership is going up, which is a good indicator. However, there was an announcement made recently that 191,000 jobs were lost in Silicon Valley after the September 11 incident. This also explains why traffic has diminished on the Dumbarton Bridge.
  3. On-Time Performance at BART had slipped a bit but is heading back up. The slip was brought about by the rain and some flat wheels that took some trains out of service. They had to set up some speed restrictions in Balboa. They also are implementing a new schedule.
  4. Construction work at the BART extensions in South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and the Airport are done. BART is starting to test the system.
  5. SamTrans staff is coordinating with BART on the parking program, service levels, fare structure and surcharge. Agreements are being finalized in preparation for the BART opening.
  6. Tremendous amount of marketing outreach is going on for the new stations to attract ridership to the new BART line. The promotions include mailers to various residents, billboard campaign, advertising on buses, station ads, on-board ads on BART, and radio campaign. The public is encouraged to ride SamTrans and shuttles to get to BART.
  7. Caltrain schedule was adjusted starting March 24 to synchronize with the BART schedule to make a seamless cross-platform transfer possible.
  8. Bus schedules will be adjusted to improve the connections to all the extension stations. The El Camino bus running times and frequency of service also will be improved.
  9. Shuttle service reallocation will continue where appropriate.
Director Nevin inquired if there had been public hearings or presentations to inform the public of the schedule changes. Mr. Harvey answered public meetings were conducted during the budget process last July and August when the route changes were made.

Director Hill asked if there would be renewed outreach efforts as the implementation of the changes gets closer so that people taking the old routes would be advised of the changes. Mr. Harvey stated the communications departments of BART and SamTrans are working together on various outreach efforts. Also, the Customer Service Center representatives will be well educated to be able to provide information through the telephone.

Director Hartnett questioned the demographics of the population to be served as Caltrain coordinates transit services to obtain a seamless connection. Mr. Harvey advised that he cannot respond precisely at this time as to the demographics of age or kind of jobs riders have. Changes are made to insure that riders who take BART from the East Bay and from downtown San Francisco could quickly get on to a Caltrain and go further south. Currently, it is not very easy to ride on BART from the East Bay into the city and make a connection to Caltrain to go to the Peninsula. Northbound, people now can access BART through the Colma station. Route changes are being done at present to provide riders access to the train stations by using public transportation rather than driving their cars.

Director Hartnett commented on the public relations and advertising efforts that are apparently focused on the North County. He assumed that there will be some focus on the people in the East Bay and hoped that the people in the south county are not neglected in the outreach efforts so that everybody will understand what the system means. Mr. Harvey assured that outreach will be done from the north through south county. He pointed out as an example the start of an express bus route later this year, coming from Redwood City and Foster City that will feed directly to the Millbrae Station, thus promoting a connection from the east side of Hwy. 101 to the rail system.

Mr. Harvey informed that the contractor has now turned over the whole system to BART for testing. The opening date will soon be determined.

Director Nevin remarked that until the Caltrain downtown extension is completed, a cross-platform transfer at Millbrae can take south county riders to the heart of the Financial District.

Mr. Harvey added with the growth of residential and business units at this time east of Hwy. 101, it is really important for staff to figure out how to serve that market because it is quite far from Caltrain.

Director Guingona inquired into the date of the BART opening. Mr. Scanlon stated the date is not certain yet, however, there will be an announcement in the very near future.

Director Hill hoped that it would be a joint announcement.

Redi-Wheels Paratransit Rodeo
Mr. Harvey reported that SamTrans annually conducts a roadeo competition for the drivers and mechanics of full-size buses. There is a regional competition and international competition conducted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This year, it was decided that Redi-Wheels drivers hold their own roadeo competition. Mr. Harvey outlined the criteria to be met by a driver to qualify and join the competition. He thanked John Murphy and Elizabeth Marquez of MV Transportation and SamTrans staff for their efforts in putting together the competition. Daniel Blackwell and Ernie Azucena won the first and second places. After a few days, they went to Redding for the regional competition. Daniel Blackwell won the 6th place. Ernie Azucena placed 15th and the team finished fourth overall.

Multimodal Ridership Report
Mr. Harvey noted the flattening off of BART ridership. It is now down to only 1.1 percent at the San Mateo County extension stations. Paratransit ridership also has flattened off at 1,100 riders a day, allowing the District to meet the capacity needs and keep the zero denials. Caltrain ridership is down only 3.9 percent in San Mateo County. It is down nearly double digits in the south due to the job situation in Silicon Valley. SamTrans bus ridership is down about 4.5 percent.

Adjourned: 2:28 p.m.


FINANCE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: John Barbour, Jim Hartnett

Committee Member Absent: Shirley Harris (Committee Chair)

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Michael Guingona, Jerry Hill, Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Al Teglia

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

In the absence of Committee Chair Harris, Director Hartnett was appointed by Board Chair Guingona to preside over the meeting. Director Hartnett called the meeting to order at 2:28 p.m.

Approval of Finance Committee Minutes of March 13, 2003
The Committee (Lloyd/Janney) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Acceptance of Statement of Revenues and Expenses for February 2003
Roger Contreras, Chief Financial Officer, reported operating revenues are on target with the year-to-date revised budget. However, actual sales tax receipts for the holiday period have been received and they are lower than what staff is hoping for. As a result a new estimate will be made, sales taxes will be reduced by $1 million from $57 million to $56 million. Also received was the notification from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) that because the economy has not recovered, Transportation Development Act (TDA) allocations will be reduced by $4.5 million from $28.7 million to $24.2 million. On the expenditure side, the total expenditures are lower by $1.1 million compared to the year-to-date budget. The principal components are $400,000 on savings from wages and benefits; $214,000 in technical services; and another $200,000 on bus parts and materials. These savings are offset by the overrun in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Program by about $400,000.

The Committee (Nevin/Janney) recommended Board acceptance of the statement.

Establishment of Settlement Authority Policy for Employment and Workers' Compensation Claims
George Cameron, Chief Administrative Officer, requested withdrawal of this item from the agenda in view of some questions raised by Board members. Staff will look at the issues once again and take it or a portion of it to the Board at a future meeting.

There were no objections from the Board.

Authorizing Disposition of Surplus Rolling Stock and Related Equipment
Mr. Cameron presented this item to the Committee. There being no questions, the Committee (Hill/Lloyd) recommended Board approval of the proposed action.

Authorizing Purchase of One Paratransit Bus for Coastside Opportunity Center through State of California Competitive Bid Contract at a Total Price of $62,996.67
Mr. Cameron stated staff is proposing that the Committee recommend Board approval of the purchase of the bus through the State of California's State Competitive Bid Contract at a total price of $62,996.67 for transfer to the Coastside Opportunity Center. The Committee (Lloyd/Nevin) recommended Board approval of the proposed action.

Adjourned: 2:32 p.m.


LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Arthur Lloyd (Committee Chair), John Barbour, Michael Nevin

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Michael Guingona, Jim Hartnett, Jerry Hill, Mary Janney, Al Teglia

Other Board Member Absent: Shirley Harris

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

All Committee members were present. Director Lloyd called the meeting to order at 2:32 p.m.

Approval of Legislative Committee Minutes of March 13, 2003
The Committee (Janney/Guingona) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Support of SB 541 (Torlakson): Gas Tax Indexing
Ed Stewart, Legislative Analyst, reported this bill would index the State's gasoline excise tax to inflation. If the gas tax were adjusted retroactive to the 1990 level, which was the last time the gas tax was increased, the rate would increase from 18 cents per gallon to 22 cents per gallon. A one-cent increase in the gas tax is estimated to raise $175 million for the State's transportation funding accounts. Four cents would generate about $700 million additional annually for the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and other State transportation funding programs. SB 541 was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee last week but failed passage. There was opposition to calling for an increase in the gas tax at the same time that gas prices have increased at a record level throughout the State. Secondly, some senators questioned the bill's proposal to backfill the Traffic Congestion Relief Program with gas tax revenues. The bill remains in the Senate Transportation Committee and it could be brought back for further discussion. Mr. Stewart stated that it is worth supporting this bill because it may be reconsidered later. Also, Senator Torlakson should be encouraged to bring it back.

Director Barbour inquired if all of the excise taxes go to transportation or if they go to the general fund. Mr. Stewart advised that excise taxes all go to transportation.

The Committee (Nevin/Hill) recommended Board support of the bill.

Support of AB 557 (Lowenthal): Yield to Buses
Mr. Stewart reported that this bill would allow transit agencies to implement a Yield to Buses Program in which motorists would be required to yield to buses that reenter traffic after dropping off or picking up passengers. This would help improve on-time performance. A board resolution would be necessary to implement this rule locally. Pilot projects underway in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties have been very successful.

Director Hill asked if there would be a potential problem if the bus driver, knowing that he has the right of way, would become aggressive in moving back into traffic.

Mr. Scanlon responded that because some motorists currently do not let buses go back in, if the yield-to-buses rule were implemented, buses would be more easily able to get in and out of travel lanes. The buses will have a prominent sign at the back that says "Yield to Bus", so motorists will know that the bus has the right of way. Mr. Scanlon noted that this program has been very successful in Florida.

The Committee (Guingona/Hartnett) recommended Board support of the bill.

Director Nevin remarked he would also like to see legislation that would give the right of way to pedestrians in pedestrian zones.

Mr. Scanlon stated that this is already the law in California but better enforcement could be helpful.

Support of AB 839 (Salinas): Storage of Video Recordings
Having read the written staff report and not having any questions, the Committee (Hill/Teglia) recommended Board support of the bill.

Adjourned: 2:41 p.m.


PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Mary Janney, Jerry Hill

Committee Member Absent: Jim Hartnett (Committee Chair)

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: John Barbour, Shirley Harris, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Al Teglia

Other Board Member Absent: Michael Guingona

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Cheryl Cavitt, April Chan, Monica Colondres, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Susan Stark, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

In the absence of Committee Chair Jim Hartnett, Director Mary Janney presided over and called the meeting to order at 3:20 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Planning and Development Committee Meeting of March 13, 2003
The Committee (Lloyd/Nevin) unanimously recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Presentation on SamTrans Bus Service to the New BART SFO Extension Stations
Mr. Harvey referred to the Bus Improvement Plan previously adopted by the Board. The plan was drafted to be revenue neutral. The changes were presented to the Citizens Advisory Committee, the Bus Improvement Plan Committee and to the public during the public hearings held in 2001 and 2002. Implementation, however, was delayed until BART opens. Mr. Harvey stated resources are reallocated to be able to afford to run bus service and feed the BART Stations. He identified the routes that will be eliminated (BX and 193), those that were combined (Routes 131 and 32, to become Loop Route 132), re-routed (133), and altered in a minor way, to serve the new BART stations (34, 122, 130, 242, 390 and 391). He presented and discussed maps showing the selected services that feed major areas - the existing service, the proposed service to the new BART Stations, Route BX, Route 193, and the proposed changes to Route 133.

Mr. Harvey, in answer to the concerns and petitions of the NX and the PX riders from the Redwood Shores area, pointed out that the changes do not involve any additional cuts of the express routes for FY 2004.

Mr. Harvey outlined the alternate services for passengers that ride Route 193 to go to the San Francisco International Airport, some involving BART and some involving buses. He stated people who live north of Stonestown can ride Muni to the Daly City BART station and take BART. Addressing the issue of fare increase that was raised by the CAC members today, he mentioned several options available for passengers to connect with SamTrans service at reduced travel costs. By buying a BART Plus ticket, a passenger can ride the mainline service down to the Millbrae Station and then ride the BART shuttles into the airport. This will lower the monthly increment to about $90.

Mr. Harvey concluded that reallocating resources, combining routes and putting together loop routes would improve east/west connectivity. The existing start times, headways and frequencies under the old budget are maintained. He advised that all the changes have been put together in the Run Book 79. It is ready for bid at this point. The effective date of this run book is June 22, 2003.

Director Nevin remarked that with the opening of BART on June 22, SamTrans should be flexible in the changes if there would be a need to change.

Mr. Harvey responded that before BART opens, consultants and counters would be used to measure ridership. Transfers will be monitored at the BART and Caltrain stations and monthly and daily ridership numbers on the buses will be reported by the operators themselves. After BART opens on June 22, another cadre of counters will be employed to measure the impact. They will be quantified. He hoped to hear from riders at this point on how they are affected so that staff could find ways to address their concerns.

Ken Feldstein, Foster City, after hearing the report of Mr. Harvey, reiterated the added cost and inconvenience that low-income airport workers will have to bear with the new route changes. He proposed staff put up a bus route from the terminal to the El Camino/Tanforan area connecting with routes 390 and 391, primarily on peak and some off-peak schedules. Also, he requested running Route 292 at Millbrae Avenue right to the BART Station and serve the low-income riders.

Presentation on BART Extension Marketing Campaign
Rita Haskin, Chief Communications Officer, reported on the various marketing efforts they are engaged in to get the information to the public about the service changes. The targets are the SamTrans and Caltrain customers whose transportation usage is affected by the changes. These methods include news releases, newsletters, brochures, electronic signs at the station, take-ones on board the buses and the train, on board announcements, windshield flyers at parking lots, and through the web site. District employees and the Citizens Advisory Committee members will be fielded at the stations starting June 20. They will provide customers with hands-on information on how to get to their destination to make their trip nice and smooth. Media representatives will be toured at the extension stations and briefed on what will happen at the BART opening in regard to bus routes and Caltrain.

Ms. Haskin noted that the markets being targeted are the commuters of the 101 and 80 corridors, north county residents, travelers to the airport and airport employees, and SamTrans and Caltrain customers. Information modes include direct mail, newspapers, radio, television, outdoor campaigns, and billboards. She discussed in detail how, with limited resources, each method is being carried out to reach every customer.

She said the District is in partnership with BART, the Airport and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. BART is providing publicity by means of posters at the stations, information kiosks, banners and the electronic message signs. They also will provide interior car cards on board the train. Muni and VTA also agreed to post ad cards in their buses. The Congestion Relief Alliance is doing mailers and the San Francisco and San Mateo Visitors Bureau are putting these in their publications. SamTrans is using exterior bus advertising to support the campaign. Interior cards are also available in the buses and the trains.

Adjourned: 2:45 p.m.


SAN MATEO COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Members Present: Michael Guingona (Chair), Mary Janney (Vice Chair), John Barbour, Jim Hartnett, Jerry Hill, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Al Teglia

Board Member Absent: Shirley Harris

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Chair Guingona called the meeting to order at 2:41 p.m.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Motions
The Board (Lloyd/Janney) unanimously approved the following items under the Consent Calendar:
  1. Adoption of Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting of March 13, 2003
  2. Acceptance of Statement of Revenues & Expenses, February 2003
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None at this time.

REPORT OF THE CHAIR
None at this time.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER/CEO
Michael Scanlon thanked Dale Edwards of the PCC for his kind words and said he and Mr. Harvey enjoyed spending some time with the PCC and expressed pleasure working with the group. He looked forward to having a much better end-result by working together. He encouraged Mr. Edwards to continue using the term "Family of Services".

He also recognized Rita Haskin, Chief Communications Officer, and her team for having received the Gold Award from the League of American Communications Professionals for the employee newsletter "SamTimes". This organization encourages excellence in the practice of communications for all organizations - not just transportation. He also acknowledged Andrea Suarez, editor of SamTimes, for this achievement.

Mr. Scanlon gave the following reports:
  1. Service reliability - For the month of March, 11 schedules were missed. This figure is phenomenal considering that each month, average schedules are 43,000.
  2. Weekend bus service to the ball games - There were a couple of pre-season games. Regular season will start this coming weekend. Ridership figure on the bus side will be determined thereafter.
  3. Fuel prices - The last three weeks have been better. The prices are closely tracking with how the events are going with the war.
  4. A notice was previously sent to the Board members on the Grand Jury Report. The Jury acknowledged that the Redi-Wheels program is operating very well. Staff has already been doing majority of the things that are mentioned in the report.
  5. Schedule changes - Mr. Scanlon asked Ms. Haskin to put together a marketing and outreach program relative to the BART opening, to reach many counties even beyond the nine counties in the immediate Bay Area.
  6. Caltrain schedule - On March 24, Caltrain schedule was changed in order to better interface with BART
  7. The Caltrain Board, after a public hearing, approved major changes to the Caltrain fare structure and procedures. In September, Caltrain will become a full "Proof-of-Payment" railroad.
  8. Caltrain Board members, Michael Nevin, Arthur Lloyd, and Mary Janney, with Senator Jackie Speier, officially christened the first Baby Bullet locomotive.
Director Nevin noted a photo of the engine and train that was displayed at the site. Mr. Scanlon remarked that copies of the photo would be obtained for all the Board members.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Motions
 The Board (Hill/Teglia) unanimously approved the following:
  1. Approval of minutes of Community Relations Committee meeting of March 13, 2003
  2. Appointment of the following to the Citizens Advisory Committee:
    • Jeff Carter and Kenneth Feldstein - to represent the Community
    • Mary Lou Ciranni - to represent the Multimodal Riders
    • Pamela Hitchcock, Molly Kennedy, and Michael Lumsden - to represent the Bus Riders.
Subjects Discussed
 Director Hill reported that the Committee heard the following reports:
  1. PCC, Advocacy and ATAC Reports
  2. Citizens Advisory Committee Liaison Report
  3. BART Performance Report
  4. Multimodal Ridership Report, February 2003
FINANCE COMMITTEE
The Board (Lloyd/Teglia) unanimously approved the following:
Resolutions
  1. Resolution No. 2003-13: Authorizing Disposition of Surplus Rolling Stock and Related Equipment
  2. Resolution No. 2003-14: Authorizing Purchase of One Paratransit Bus for Coastside Opportunity Center through State of California Competitive Bid Contract at a Total Price of $61,996.67
Motions
 The Board (Hartnett/Lloyd) unanimously approved the following:
  1. Deferment of the item pertaining to the "Establishment of Settlement Authority Policy for Employment and Workers' Compensation Claims" for future consideration.
  2. Approval of minutes of Finance Committee meeting of March 13, 2003.
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
Motions
 The Board (Lloyd/Janney) unanimously approved the following:
  1. Minutes of Legislative Committee meeting of March 13, 2003.
  2. Support of SB 541 (Torlakson): Gas Tax Indexing
  3. Support of SB 557(Lowenthal): Yield to Buses
  4. Support for AB 839 (Salinas): Storage of Video Recording
GENERAL COUNSEL PROPOSAL
  1. Closed Session: Conference with Legal Counsel -Existing Litigation - Closed Session pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(a): Prentiss v. SamTrans
         Attorney David Miller recommended that the consideration of this matter be continued to the May      Board meeting.
Attorney Miller, in open session, provided some insights on a recent California Supreme Court Case (Bonanno v. CCCTA) that affects public agencies, particularly transit agencies and their passengers that are on their way to and from a bus stop location. He explained that the Supreme Court decision interprets the California Tort Claims Act as far as liabilities of transit agencies are concerned. He advised that aside from seeking legislative reforms from an advocacy standpoint, staff will need to take a close look at all bus stop locations, exercise due diligence from a safety enhancement perspective and identify other appropriate parties to participate in these analyses.

Attorney Miller stated that the next item is a matter of anticipated litigation, which requires closed session.

THE BOARD ADJOURNED INTO CLOSED SESSION AT 3:08 P.M. AND RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION AT 3:20 P.M.
  1. Closed Session: Conference with Legal Counsel - Anticipated Litigation - Closed Session pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9 (b)(1) - One potential case.
         Attorney Miller reported that the Board met in closed session to hear the report from counsel and      from General Manager/CEO, relative to a possible litigation matter and defense strategy. They will      report back on the topic discussed at a future date.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: None at this time.

DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 at 2 p.m., SamTrans Administrative Office, 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, California.

Adjourned: 3:25 p.m.



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