CALPIRG

The California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) just launched a campaign to get Peter Buffa, OCTA Chairman, to take a hard look at saving OCTA's bus system. UC Irvine coordinator Janet Lee recently sent this out in an e-mail blast:

Have you been affected by the OCTA bus cuts and fee hikes? I have.

I just called Peter Buffa, OCTA Chairman, and asked him to save bus services in Orange County.

You should call too too: 714-560-5676.

Then report your call here: http://calpirgstudents.org/action/transit/octa

On Monday, we helped convince OCTA to protect 150,000 hours of bus services in Orange County. But we're not in the clear yet - OCTA is still considering cutting services and is deciding which routes to preserve.

We can keep our buses running by letting Peter Buffa know that we want good public transportation in Orange County.

Make sure to report your call so we know how many have been made!

Thanks,
Janet Lee
Public Transit Grassroots Coordinator
CALPIRG
http://CALPIRGstudents.org

Awesome work, Janet! Zot zot. read more→

The Transit Advocates held a rally in Santa Ana this past Thursday night.

Students from Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Santa Ana College, and UC Irvine helped conduct a peaceful rally that attracted more than 40 people, which is a pretty decent outcome for Orange County. The crowd included a lawyer, UC Irvine's CALPIRG transit committee president, social advocates, members from the Latino community, the disabilities community, Serena Maria Daniels and staff from the Orange County Register, a reporter for UC Irvine's New University newspaper, and Joel Zlotnik, in charge of media relations at OCTA.

The rally was both emotional and informative: members of the Transit Advocates (such as Roy Shahbazian below) outlined details of the service cuts (many of which this blog has covered — so I won't rehash the details).

If you missed the rally, the main point was handed out in this flyer I designed below. I've also uploaded more photos of the Orange County Bus Cuts Rally here. Here's the text of the flyer:

ATTEND OCTA’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING.

Monday, June 8, 2009 – 9:00 am
OCTA Headquarters, 1st Floor, Rm. 154, 600 S. Main St., Orange, CA
This is where the directors decide what to do with your bus service. Attend this meeting to tell them and Orange County that we demand better transit service.

CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR.

The only way to stop the cuts: restore transit funding! Most legislators voted to eliminate funds to keep your bus running — and they don’t know the severe impact they had on transit. Tell them how the cuts affect you and demand they restore funding.

Speaking points to legislators:
• Budget cuts impact bus riders. Bus service is being reduced by almost 40%!
• Bus service is a lifeline transportation for people with no alternatives — riders will lose their jobs and healthcare.
• We have bus capital funding, but we need bus operations funding.
• Ask them to explore ways to restore operations funding, or ask feds to make capital funding flexible on a temporary emergency basis.

Not sure who your state legislators are?
• Call (714) 567-7600, the OC Registrar of Voters
• Visit www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html read more→