Transit Times
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Vol. 4 No. 1 OAKLAND, MAY 1961 [ Assembly Adopts New Bill to Divert Bill to Solve Special Bridge Tolls Opposed School Bus Costs By East Bay Leaders Legislation, which would provide a Another attempt to divert Bay Bridge division of costs for special school bus tolls for Marin County and peninsula service between students who use it commuters has been met with renewed and the Oakland school system, has been opposition in San Francisco and the East approved by the Assembly in Sacra Bay this month. mento. AC Transit and area leaders joined The bill was introduced to help pre in new protests after a second bill was vent the loss of school bus service in the introduced in the State Legislature to Oakland hill area. H approved by the divert Bay Bridge revenue for recon Senate and signed by the Governor, it struction of the Transbay Transit Ter can become a law in time for the start minal in San Francisco for beneRt of of service this fall. buses which do not pay any tolls. The measure relieves school districts An earlier bill brought before the from part of the Rnancial burden in fur State Senate aroused such protest that nishing school bus service and provides, proponents agreed not to push it before instead, for an equitable distribution of the Senate Transportation Committee. costs between parents of students in The new bill, introduced by Senator volved and school taxpayers. Eugene McAteer of San FraNcisco, con It was introduced by Assemblyman tains the same provisions as the first Nicholas C. Petris of Oakland at the re measure, with the additional authoriza quest of hill area residents whose chil tion for construction of a heliport on the dren face the loss of bus service next terminal roof. fall. The bill was combined with . ~ simi H the bill is approved, bus services lar one by Assemblyman Edwin L. which pay no Bay Bridge tolls would be Z'berg of Sacramento and was approved getting the beneRt of facilities paid for Rrst by the Assembly Education Com largely by East Bay commuters, Transit mittee. Director Robert K. Barber pointed out. The bill would allow AC Transit to The resultant crowding also would seri operate the service, collecting a regular ously hamper district plans for increas fare from students and meeting any ex ing transbay service, he said. cess costs from a minimum guaranteed The directors unanimously voted to by the Oakland Board of Education. oppose the latest bill and again to seek (Col'IItilluea on Page 6) support of area groups. Veteran Transit Director Resigns What the Editors Are Saying About Transit Paul E. Deadrich, a veteran member number of civic groups, including the of the AC Transit board of directors, an San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Tribune: nounced his resignation this month. Chabot Lions Club, Broadmoor Men's Deadrich said he plans to move his Club, Family Service Agency of Central Caught in the Middle home from Hayward to Tuolumne Alameda County and San Leandro Wel County at the end of the school year fare Council. He also has been active in HE PARENTS of a considerable The Transit District on the other hand where he will operate a law and real the Southern Alameda County Bar As T number of Oakland school pupils claims it cannot subsidize Oakland estate office in the Sonora-Twain Harte sociation. are now caught in the middle of what school bus service on the grounds the area. The resignation was accepted by the presently appears to be a squabble be district is supported by taxpayers in two Representative of Ward V, including board with "deep regret." tween the Oakland Board of Education counties-many of whom already support Board President William J. Betten and the new AC Transit District. their own special school buses through court, also of San Leandro, cited Dea The fight is over payment for bus serv school taxes. drich as a "very devoted, dedicated and The Transit District has a good point. high-principled member of the board ice provided Oakland pupils attending schools located well off regular AC bus The district is not supported exclusively one whose vacancy will be difficult to by Oakland taxpayers. The district sug fill." runs. gests that the board underwrite the dif At present no real battle lines have Director Robert K. Barber of Kensing ference between the costs to the district been drawn between these two organiza ton said Deadrich "actively, progres for special service and the fares paid by sively and most forthrightly assisted the tions-nor should there be. Yet from such differences grow unpleasant feelings in the students. A part-pay precedent for board in what progress the district has this has already been established here. made." which both sides entrench themselves behind untenable positions that only This latter suggestion is a logical one work to the detriment of the public. and should be given close attention by the board. But there still is available to What 'seems to be needed now as a Chicago Transit Shows the board a remedy in Sacramento by means of extricating both sides from the means of a bill which would spell out the Decrease in Revenue dilemma are frank three-way talks be board's authority to pay a portion of the tween the board, the parents' groups and CHICAGO-Passenger revenue of the bus cost without having to assume the Chicago Transit Authority amounted to the AC Transit District. whole financial burden. $11,073,470 for the month of March, a At least such discussions would serve The bill, introduced by Oakland As decrease of $634,922 or 5.42 per cent as to keep the situation from further de semblyman Nicholas C. Petris has been compared with March, 1960. teriorating into a rock-throwing contest approved by the Assembly Education The amount was adequate to cover between two public bodies. And the Committee and deserves passage by the operation and maintenance expenses, presence of parents-who are also voters Legislature. Paul E. Deadrich debt service requirements, but left a -may help greatly in bot'h organizations deficiency of $479,201 in the $896,918 reaching some equitable compromise. monthly provision for depreciation re The problem involved is simply this: the area of Hayward, Castro Valley, San serve. Operator Retires I} The Oakland Board of Education has Lorenzo and portions of San Leandro, not budgeted any funds during the next J. H. Ashmore of 3016 Brook St., Oak Deadrich was elected to the first board MORE INFORMATION school year for bus transportation to out land, a veteran street car and motor when the district was formed in 1956. of-the-way schools such as the new hill coach operator, retired on May 1, end He was re-elected in 1958 to a four year A note or phone call to the transit dis area high school. ing 33 years in transit. term. trict-OLympic 3-3535-will place your The school board says it can't afford to Ashmore, who had been on sick leave A well known San Leandro attorney name on the mailing list for Transit Times budget any monies because state law re since last October, went to work for Key and member of a prominent family of if you are not already regularly receiving quires that if it pays any portion of the System in 1928, working on both the the area, Deadrich has been active in a a copy of the monthly newslett€r. cost it must pay it all. street cars and buses before his illness. 2 3 CURVE AHEAD-A corkscrew slide offers Transit Trai/s variety for the small fry at Richmond's Nicholl Park on Macdonald Ave. Try Nicholl Park in Richmond for Outing By Virginia Dennison There might be prettier parks with hill enough slides (five! ) and other equip and dale, but for a day of togetherness ment for everybody. (like the book says) it would be hard to While the youngsters play, Papa can beat Nicholl Park in Richmond. watch the ballgame on one of three dia It has everything-from kids to kids monds; practice his shots on a putting for everyone in the family. The one kind green or try to figure out the intent of LET 'EM ROLL-The intriguing pursuit of of kids are included in the miniature intense lawn bowlers, away from it all lawn bowling attracts a sunny morning farm. With the park on Macdonald Ave., behind a thick hedge. crowd on the Nicholl Park greens. The the obvious name for the animal collec For the teenagers, there's tennis and park has everything for the family. tion, of course, would be "Old MacDon a soon-to-be completed footfall field. ald's Farm." Bring your own eei-eei-o's. Mama can enjoy the serenity and con Your own kids will find ducks, pea versation of other mothers, watching cocks, pheasants and other birds, along from benches- if she isn't busy getting with the barnyard bunch. They'll also the lunch ready at the barbecue and pic find, and probably sooner, · a big play nic area near the miniature railroad. The area, exceptional in that it seems to have train, which nllls on week-ends when KID MEETS KIDS"':"'Animals and children find mutual understanding- especially when a hand-out is involved....,.at Nicholl Park farm; the weather permits and from 10 a.m. to Located at 30th and Macdonald, it also 7 or 8 at night during vacation times, is . has the advantage of being.