Pacific Progressive

OCTA Transit Cuts

http://www.octa.net

Here's a list of what is being cut by the OCTA during 2009.  This is very, very long (about 20+ pages if you're printing it.)

Summary of OCTA June & September 2009 Service Cuts

(Does not include Night Owl Service discontinuation.)

May 28, 2009

Prepared by Reggie Mundekis, [email protected]

What is Impacted

154 Schools & Colleges 

53 Shopping Centers

27 Medical Facilities

40 Employers & Office Parks

52 Government Facilities

52 Recreation & Other Facilities

32 Transportation Centers & Connectors 

OCTA Cutting Our Chances of Economic Recovery - Pt 4

Who Rides the Night Owl?

Night Owl late night, all night, bus service will be cut on 4 lines starting September 2009.  For many people who work at night, this is their only source of transportation.  Losing this way to work may make them try to find another job they can get to using the resources they have.  To many people, these workers are invisible - they work at night, at jobs most people never think of, and we never see them.

What do they do at night?  Take care of patients in hospitals and other health care facilities.  Wash our tablecloths and uniforms.  Perform maintenance and housekeeping.  Stock store shelves.  They keep much of our world looking very nice.  And we hardly ever see them or think about them.

Where can't you get to work now, well after the rest of us have gone to bed?

Some of the places you won't get to are:

OCTA Cutting Our Chances of Economic Recovery - Pt 3

Once is not enough, apparently not when the OCTA cuts bus service.  Four routes are being cut twice - once in June and again in September.    Here are those routes and the impacts.

Line	Route	Impacts
20	La Habra to Yorba Linda	June Eliminate 6:44PM Eliminate 7:34 PM eastbound September Increase time between trips from 30 to 45 minutes Destinations Impacted:   Downtown Yorba Linda, Yorba Linda Community Center,  Brea Gateway Center, Brea Promenade, Brea Mall, La Habra Marketplace and 2 schools
33	Fullerton to Huntington Beach	June  Increase time between trips from 30 to 35 minutes September  On Sunday, increase time between trips from 60 to 65 minutes Destinations Impacted: 10 schools, Little Saigon, and Huntington State Beach
46	Los Alamitos to Orange	June Eliminate total of 8 trips during morning and afternoon peak periods.  Create a new short turn routing between The Village at Orange and Knott Avenue that terminates at Orange and Knott Avenues.  Increase the time between trips from 20 to 24 minutes during the afternoon. September  On Sunday, cut last eastbound trip. Destinations Impacted: 11 schools, Orange Library, Greyhound Station, Disneyland, Anaheim General Hospital, Western Medical Center  - Anaheim
177	Foothill Ranch to Laguna Hills	June Weekday cuts - Cut 6:38 PM & 7:13 PM northbound  and 5:15 AM  southbound trips. Saturday and Sunday cuts - Increase time between trips from 45 to 60 minutes all day September Saturday and Sunday - Increase time between trips from 60 minutes to 90 minutes all day Destinations Impacted: 1 school, Foothill Ranch Market Place, Foothill Ranch Towne Center, Baker Ranch Plaza, Foothill Corporate Centre, Laguna Hills Mall, Saddleback Hospital.

http://www.octa.net/

OCTA Cutting Our Chances of Economic Recovery - Pt 2

OCTA  http://www.octa.net/ will make more cuts in September 2009, in addition to the June 2009 cuts.  This round of cuts will impact your ability to get to:

• 129 Schools and Colleges 
• 43 Shopping Centers, Malls, and Shopping Districts 
• 19 Hospitals and Medical Facilities 
• 32 Employers and Office Parks 
• 39 Civic Centers, Senior Centers , Libraries and other Government facilities
• 24 Park & Rides and Transit Connectors 
• 40 Parks, Beaches and other destinations

These cuts make it difficult to get to work, go to school, obtain medical care, go shopping for food and clothing, get books from a public library, get to a park or beach, and conduct business with the government.  If you depend on the bus, you are slowly being cut off from being able to compete in our local economy.

Trip Frequency and Service Reductions Starting September 2009

Starting in September 2009, replan your trip if you need to get to these destinations.  You can still get there, but it may be tricky, depending on when you need to be there, how long you need to stay, and what other connections you need to make to arrive at your final destination.  Here are the details:

OCTA Cutting Our Chances of Economic Recovery - Pt 1

OCTA http://www.octa.net/ is making severe, deep cuts to balance a budget.  These cuts are severe and will impact our local economy.  These cuts make it difficult to get to school, work, medical care, government facilities, other transportation, and recreational opportunities.  This will impact our recovery from the current economic crisis.  How can you hold a job you can't get to?  How can you go to college when you can't afford to get to classes?  How do you get to a doctor's appointment if you don't have a car or can't drive?

And, the cuts to service to transit connectors like Park & Rides and Metrolink stations mean no more saving money and energy with public transportation for some people.  If you can't get from the station to where you need to go, why take the train or carpool?

Where are the cuts and who will they hurt? 

• 78 Schools and Colleges have reduced service 
• 27 Shopping Centers, Malls, and Shopping Districts have less transit service
• 14 Hospitals and Medical Facilities have fewer buses available
• 17 Employers and Office Parks have fewer trips to bring employees to work
• 27 Civic Centers, Senior Centers and Libraries have fewer buses to get residents to city  services
• 22 Park & Rides and Transit Connectors have fewer ways to move people to and from the sites
• 13 Parks and Beaches have fewer trips to bring people to recreational opportunities

This is Part 1 of a series. The other stories in the series will examine the impact of the cuts starting June 14 and the proposed September 2009 cuts.

Trip Frequency and Service Reductions Starting June 14, 2009

Orange County Budget Workshop Friday, May 29

Orange County will have a workshop about the proposed FY 2009/10 budget on Friday, May 29 at 10 AM. The County's Chief Financial Officer and County staff will discuss:

• FY 2009/10 Budget Overview
• Potential State Budget Impacts
• Property Taxes and Home Values
• Federal Stimulus Grant Projects 

You need to RSVP for the event.  http://bos.ocgov.com/finance/workshop_rsvp/  

The proposed budget is here http://egov.ocgov.com/ocgov/Info%20OC/Departments%20&%20Agencies/Finance%20&%20Budget/Budget

$7 a Month More for Water

The Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD)  is proposing a rate increase.  SMWD's rate structure includes rates for water based on water meter size and tiered consumption level and power charges.  When you use more water, the cost per unit increases.  SMWD says the average residential water bill will go up by $7/month ($84/year).

Details of the proposed rate increase are here http://www.smwd.com/publications/rate%20incrs%20notice%20051209.pdf

A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 7 PM at the Santa Margarita Water District Headquarters, 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.  

If you cannot attend the public hearing, you can submit comments or a written protest of the rate increase.  Any customer or property owner within the SMWD service area can file a protest by sending a letter to SMWD, Attention: General Manager, PO Box 7005, Mission Viejo, CA 92690 or 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688.  A valid protest letter must include your name, the address at which service is received from SMWD, a statement of protest, and your original signature.  Protest letters must be received by the end of the public hearing.  The letters will be tabulated and presented to the Board of Directors at the meeting.  Email protests are not valid and cannot be accepted.  Phone calls do not count either.

Brea Ends Regular Trolley Service

The Brea Trolley makes it last stop on Friday, June 26.  The cut is needed to balance the city budget. The trolley ran during weekdays from 11 AM - 2 PM on two routes.  

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Birch Street Route moved people from the Edwards East theatre on Brea Blvd down  Birch Street to the Brea Mall, Capital Group building, Country Hills, and Beckman Coulter on Ranger Ave.  On Tuesday and Thursday, the trolley ran along Brea Blvd with stops at the Senior Center, Edwards East, Heritage Plaza, Brea Woods, Pepper Tree, Canyon Villas, and the Brea Mall.

These cuts will hit the senior citizens who use the shuttle hard.  Many of these residents either cannot drive or do not own a car.  They will have reduced opportunities to get out of the home easily.  

This is the beginning of the budget cuts.  We will have to wait to see what other services to seniors are cut.

The city is notifying residents via the website, email, notices in water bills.  The city is also working with the Senior Center to let the senior population know the Brea Shuttle is still available to transport them to the Brea Senior Center.

Fullerton, La Habra & Costa Mesa Applying for $1.3 Million to Fight Foreclosures

Fullerton, La Habra and Costa Mesa are applying for  over $1.3 million to help fight foreclosures and problems arising from abandoned homes.  The Cities are applying for a joint grant of up to $1,369,854 in Neighborhood Stabilization Funding (NSP) to provide homebuyer counseling, and to acquire, rehabilitate, demolish or redevelop properties in parts of the cities experiencing high foreclosure rates.  

Fullerton will be the lead city and will administer the funds.  Fullerton is applying fro $608,623, La Habra $457.482 and Costa Mesa $303,749.

NSP was established for the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandoned homes.   http://www.nls.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/neighborhoodspg/

Laguna Niguel FY 2009/10 Budget Public Hearing Tuesday, June 2

Laguna Niguel will have a public hearing about the proposed FY 2009/10 city budget on Tuesday, June 2, at 7 PM at the City Council Chambers, 27841 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel, CA.

As of this writing, the proposed budget is not available on the city website.

Over 5% Increase in Sewer Rates in Mission Viejo

The El Toro Water District (ETWD) http://www.etwd.com/   is proposing increasing rates beginning July 1, 2009.

One of the increased charges is for sewer rates, which would go from $16.60 to $17.49 per month.  Sewer rates are flat fees charged on a per-home basis.

At this time, details of other increases are not available.

ETWD will have a public hearing on the rate increased on 

Nearly 15% Rate Hike Proposed in Serrano Water District

Serrano Water District (SWD) is raising rates starting in July 2009. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9 at 8:30 AM at the SWD offices.

Residential rates will change as follows:

2009/10

Current Rate $2.17

Proposed Rate $2.49

% Change from Current Rate 14.7% Increase

2010/11

Current Proposed Rate $2.49

New Proposed Rate $2.74

% Increase from $2.17  Rate 26.3% Increase

Yorba Linda FY 2008/09 Budget in Review

Yorba Linda receives a big slice of money from Redevelopment (about 31% of the Total Revenues.)  Property Taxes are about 14% and Sales Tax is about 7% of revenues.

Yorbal Linda contracts with Brea to provide police services, which costs about 13% of Total Expenditures.  Fire protection is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority.

Yorba Linda operates a library and the Black Gold Golf Course.

The budget can be found here http://www.ci.yorba-linda.ca.us/government/departments/finance.php

A worksheet summarizing the budget follows.

Westminster FY 2008/09 Budget in Review

Westminster is a city which generates cash flow from Redevelopment.  The Redevelopment Agency contributes about 22% to the city budget.  Property Taxes contribute about 9% and Sales Taxes are about 13% of the budget.

Redevelopment spends about 17% of the budget.  Police take about 22% and a contract with the Orange County Fire Authority is about 7% of the budget.

A worksheet summarizing the FY 2008/09 and FY 2009/10 budgets follows. Westminster operates on a two year budget cycle, so the FY 2009/10 budget will be updated.

Villa Park FY 2008/09 Budget in Review

Villa Park is Orange County's smallest city.  The commercial base is the Ralph's plaza on Santiago Canyon.  The bulk of the money to operate the city comes from Property Taxes (about 30% of Total Revenues), followed by Licenses and Permits at about 8.8%.  Sales Tax is under 5%.  

Villa Park contracts with the Sheriff's Department for police services, which costs about 24% of the Total Expenditures.  Street Maintenance is about 13% of the budget.

The city budget can be found here http://www.villapark.org/budget.htm

A worksheet summarizing the FY 2008/09 budget follows.