Pacific Progressive

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 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:

Newport Beach FY 2008/09 in Review

What is surprising about the Newport Beach budget is there is very little Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) money - about 6% of Total Revenue comes from TOT.  Newport Beach has many tourists, but not a lot of hotels.  

Like most cities, the revenue comes from Property Taxes (34%) and Sales Tax (10%).  

Expenditures are very typical - about 30% for Police and fire, about 12% for Public Works.  

Here is the budget http://www.city.newport-beach.ca.us/accounting/budget.asp