The Passing of VTA Operator Audrey Lopez
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From: VTA Board Secretary Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 3:21 PM To: VTA Board of Directors Subject: VTA Correspondence: Week ending October 16, 2020 VTA Board of Directors: We are forwarding to you the following correspondence: From Topic VTA Staff Response to Mr. Eugene Bradley, Founder & CEO, Silicon Valley Transit Users, re: the passing of VTA Operator Audrey Lopez Thank you. Office of the Board Secretary Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority 3331 North First Street, Building B San Jose, CA 95134-1927 Phone 408-321-5680 Conserve paper. Think before you print. From: Fadal, Sylvester <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2020 4:40 PM To: Eugene Bradley <[email protected]>; Fernandez, Nuria <[email protected]>; VTA Board Secretary <[email protected]>; Hill, David <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Death of VTA bus driver Audrey Lopez from COVID-19 Good afternoon Mr. Bradley, Please see below, VTA’s response next to your questions. • What was the VTA driver badge number for Ms. Lopez? Her badge number was 12134. • What bus garage(s) did Ms. Lopez work at? She worked out of the Cerone Division. • Which bus lines did Ms. Lopez drive passengers on, before her positive diagnosis for COVID-19? Audrey was a regular run operator on a split shift Monday through Friday. She drove the 57 line in the morning and 66 line in the evening. • Has contact tracing been implemented for her supervisors and fellow bus drivers trainers who were around Ms. Lopez before her COVID-19 diagnosis? Yes, as in any Covid-19 related case, contact tracing guidelines were followed consistent with CDC recommendations. As it relates to VTA putting safety first, as you may already know, VTA installed operator protective barriers on every bus on August 1, 2020. In addition, VTA provides masks and PPEs to all its employees. We also provide masks and hand sanitizers to customers who ride our system. Sincerely, Sylvester Fadal Chief Administrative Officer Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority 3331 North First Street, Building B San Jose, CA 95134-1927 Phone 408-321-5605 Mobile 408-219-8473 From: Eugene Bradley <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2020 2:56 PM To: Fernandez, Nuria <[email protected]>; Fadal, Sylvester <[email protected]>; VTA Board Secretary <[email protected]>; Hill, David <[email protected]> Subject: Death of VTA bus driver Audrey Lopez from COVID-19 Dear Ms. Fernandez, Mr. Fadal, Mr. Hill, VTA Board Members, and Staff: Yesterday evening, I learned that one of VTA's bus drivers, Audrey Lopez, has fallen due to COVID-19. I learned of her untimely demise from the Facebook page of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International. https://www.facebook.com/ATUInternational/photos/a.361019783933213/3345687162133112/ It shocked me that I learned of this news from a third party and not VTA. As I write this, no mention of her death from COVID-19 has been mentioned on the "vta.org" web site. The silence from VTA on this so far, sends a message that Ms. Lopez' life as a VTA bus driver did not matter. Given this, and on behalf of every transit rider in Santa Clara County, I am requesting the following information below. From just before Ms. Lopez' COVID-19 diagnosis: • What was the VTA driver badge number for Ms. Lopez? • What bus garage(s) did Ms. Lopez work at? • Which bus lines did Ms. Lopez drive passengers on, before her positive diagnosis for COVID-19? • Has contract tracing been implemented for her supervisors and fellow bus drivers trainers who were around Ms. Lopez before her COVID-19 diagnosis? I understand VTA must inform Ms. Lopez' immediate family on her passing first. Still, as Ms. Lopez served the public as a bus driver during a global pandemic, we must know who else was exposed before her official diagnosis. The sooner we know, the sooner those who rode her buses can get tested for COVID-19 and, if necessary, obtain treatment. VTA claims safety is first among its staff and transit riders. This is another chance for you to prove it. For the health and safety of every transit rider in Santa Clara County, your timely, written response to these questions is appreciated. Eugene Bradley Founder & CEO, Silicon Valley Transit Users http://www.svtransitusers.org/ phone (408)888-2208 Virus-free. www.avg.com From: VTA Board Secretary Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2020 3:16 PM To: VTA Board of Directors Subject: From VTA: Please share the "Ride VTA to Voting Centers" blog Importance: High Dear VTA Board Members, Staff developed a new map of Santa Clara County’s 99 voting centers showing the closest bus and light rail service to get there. We hope this tool aides in the community’s ability to easily access centers and exercise their right to vote! Please share this blog with the details: https://www.vta.org/blog/ride-vta-voting-centers The map linked here is also attached as a PDF. With this new map, you simply find your voting center identified by a large black circled number, which is overlayed on the transit map showing the nearest VTA bus route or light rail line, highlighted in various colors. Voting centers open in Santa Clara County on Oct. 31 through 8 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. Locate your polling place online or contact the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters for complete voting information. You can also contact them by phone: 1-866-430-VOTE (8683) or Email: [email protected] Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority 3331 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95134 0 6 1 7 8 ge 8 a 9 2 P 2 schematic map 2 29 3 2 3 AC Transit M 1 U 9 not to scale w 7 Legend K ilp 217 239 SamTrans Dumbarton Express AC Transit MV Community Shuttle & MVgo o Donohoe l East a 2 l D t i to Fremont BART i 3 ECR 280 281 B DB DB1 U MV GO o t 1 a 9 M e 296 397 W 101 to Union City BART to Fremont BART Local service in Mountain View s k ilm r Palo Alto to San Mateo and commute-hour shuttles from n A VTA Transit Services Partners & Neighbors a 880 xo l i D r County Mountain View Caltrain station o i z C 10 n s n o a O’Connor a t E n n g tt B a to a l 9 66 g 296 a y 3 n u Fremont 2 d 280 s ashi h i h 2 P W l Light Rail o n 2 3 r o 4 BART c x TAKE VTA TO VOTE! e i g 4 9 an D 7 San Francisco Bay in 6 u d 11 an 7 Regional rail connecting M Mid E W L B BLUE LINE the Bay Area d 2 a 2 D lefi 8 ys Palo Alto 1 Santa Teresa–Baypointe B h 7 e y 0 o BART Station Menlo ld it r s W e r o e 0 o E klin GREEN LINE 8 6 dl s Jac 2 a c Park niv 9 7 n Winchester–Old Ironsides 2 9 d u Caltrain · ACE · Amtrak U 1 Mountain e 3 8 C l E a Voting Centers l 2 as C e 680 ORANGE LINE a y 2 Milpitas Palo Alto lin 4 E m ack Mountain View–Alum Rock C in nio View J 6 Longer-distance rail to R o Tech Center o t 2 R Palo Alto W n e Light Rail Station neighboring counties/regions e r 53 n 66 4 a a i 7 l v e g A r e y a Stanford rl m n U 1 n Shoreline Park Caltrain Shuttle ACE Shuttle M Transfer Station Rail Station e o 52 w 0 a M y 21 c Milpitas Shopping p 1 4 S Voting Centers open October 31 through November 3 H nni o x B Crittenden C a City Hall D a Marylinn Center h der E T a Alviso r e Municipal bus and shuttle services C c n G t s r a Shoreline GO 44 ra P m o r h Palo Alto c Marina ave a within Santa Clara County: g N 1 y al 21 mba ia Amphitheatre 47 A C p l City Hall E e Weekday commute-hour shuttles between Weekday commute-hour shuttles r r o b 6 k V l l G 59 Locations may change – verify before you go at sccgov.org i d O st e Stanford O L Stierlin Lawrence, Mountain View Caltrain stations between Great America rail station e H 1 a G o r te Bus Stanford Marguerite r o l i B e Kaiser m 8 Caltrain o u a d and major employment sites and major employment sites i e d l is y a McCarthy Ranch er c os n 2 o 2 s la ell M Y Mountain View Shuttle y 8 w h t 1 W 47 Milpitas t a r P C 8 o a Z Shopping Center 0 o 2 n ilp 0 o 8 A S r a M 88L r S G l e 4 r 8 a a a o d 8 mer h S 522 Rapid Bus i c i MVgo Shuttle 2 d a C o n n i a u 2 a e open for voting now d h R M t e bi 40 lefi arleston l k a q Limited-stop service at frequent Q d 2 a A M e a s uoi ACE Shuttle 8 e i e F Rapid r 8 Moett r intervals b ld a c i n n o U t a l Stop r li Field r 2 Caltrain Shuttle e U t o 47 a t A P u m e 237 4 l California Ave ect 1 47 Registrar of Voters Main Oce M r m a n GO k Serra 6 W a 8 88L onn 0 9 e o o w t C P Caltrain t C S Baylands 4 2 e 8 m d 2 s 4 lc 2 21 s y ld S 0 Technology 4 o r e Plymouth America o 1 h Sh G L e l 1s a 7 s r t Park 880 s Connecting transit bus services to 1555 Berger Drive, San Jose W V 101 N 1 Holger de 61 Frequent Bus r Center a C n Stanford a 44 g n n ar La neighboring cities and counties: i l B o a v h b D e a b y y 66 l e t Stadium r ea a W a s e y 61 Less frequent part of route C 522 89 Computer r n h 2 m l c a t h A e airfieldt! i t n t a a 71 y r s a 1 y l m p gs s z m 55 mer i t c w AC Transit s n 7 p History Museum A r e Ames s t V n i x a n 22 o a o M 2 o e W U v s r u ue E a l en r G M 44 A g 7 P North County Research B 1 o t a SamTrans a a 1 2 lder r t 0 M R n i r 0 R C o 1 a o o r 4 104 p a Great e G r s e M e Courts & Oces Center Old MV- c n c d S y e Mall m Dumbarton Express 56 237 i s d d C o Great Mall r Alviso r a i l o e E 4 Old d i 42 Campbell t e Great an n Local Bus 59 B A Amtrak Highway 17 Express s l C 0 Lockheed p asm C Pkwy G 70 Se Stanford University 1 1 Middlefield J o T Milpitas t m B k av s America rr l ami ar 51 56 a Bunker m l Less frequent or selected a M D Cl Martin 1 o l m 89 Monterey-Salinas Transit O ia 21 k Transit Center w Hill A a trips only n a a w onside M a r n o ll