Event unites Southern California in its effort to preserve public transportation
ORANGE – Leaders from government, business, labor unions and transit advocates will join together in a daylong summit as they seek solutions to an unprecedented statewide financial crisis facing public transportation.
Open to the public, the Southern California Transit Forum is set from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 in the Paul and Daranne Folino Theater at Chapman University in Orange.
With millions of transit riders throughout the state already suffering from higher fares and reduced service, Governor Schwarzenegger’s recently released budget proposal for next year, would take an additional $1 billion from public transportation.
“Public transit in our state is on life support because of Sacramento’s continuous raids on our coffers, and it’s hard to imagine the damage that would be inflicted on the struggling economy and the people of California by further cuts,” said OCTA Chairman Jerry Amante, also the mayor of Tustin. “If you are concerned as I am about the future of transportation, please lend your voice to the Southern California Transit Forum.”
Topics that will be covered include legislative and legal options for preserving transit funding, proposed ballot initiatives, federal funding opportunities, economic impacts and stakeholder perspectives and information on the California High-Speed Rail.
Among others, Transit Forum participants will include:
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, State Sen. Alan Lowenthal; Assemblyman Jose Solorio; Curt Pringle, mayor of Anaheim and chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority; Will Kempton, CEO of the Orange County Transportation Authority; Arthur T. Leahy, CEO of Metro; Lucy Dunn, California Transportation Commissioner and CEO of the Orange County Business Council; James Earp, California Transportation Commissioner and executive director of the Los Angeles Alliance for Jobs; Hasan Ikhrata, CEO of the Southern California Association of Governments; Patrick D. Kelly, secretary-treasurer and executive officer of Teamsters Local 952; Art Guzzetti, vice president of policy for the American Public Transportation Association; Timothy Canova, associate dean of the Chapman University Law School; and Josh Shaw, executive director of the California Transit Association.
The free event is hosted by the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, OCTA, Teamsters Local 952, Chapman University’s Center for Global Trade and Development, OCBC, Mobility 21 and the Orange County Division of League of California Cities.
To register: Peggy Wandelear at (714) 560-5939 or pwandelear@octa.net by Feb. 1.
