Today, #DamienTalks with a bunch of people who claim that they have witnessed paranormal activity in the Foothill Transit executive offices.
That's right, we're reporting that the major sponsor of this podcast is haunted.
Happy Halloween!
And thanks to Felicia Friesema for all her work on this podcast as well as our interviewees for being such good sports : Sabrina Muhne, Roland Cordero, Roberto Estrella, Ruben Cevantes, Miguel Rodriguez, Chris Pieper and London Lee.
#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”
I know it seems as though this election has been going on forever, but the end is in site. A week from Tuesday, America will vote on a new president, California will vote on a new Senator and Los Angeles County will decide the fate of Measure M.
But today, #DamienTalks with South Pasadena Mayor Diana Mahmud about the proposal. South Pasadena, its newspapers and many of its loudest activists either opposed or stayed neutral on Metro sales tax proposals in 2008 and 2012. But this time, the newspapers and City Council are unanimous in their support for Measure M.
I'll be honest with you, the conversation took a turn I didn't expect. Mahmud talked openly about the privilege South Pasadena has with being one of Southern California's first cities to have a rail station. She then pivoted to the need for the city to "pay it forward" by supporting a tax to help other cities in Los Angeles County experience the benefits of having a rail station at the center of town.
Maybe I've been covering the ugly fight over development in Santa Monica for too long, but to hear someone argue that it was their duty to help everyone achieve the privilege that they have was refreshing.
#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”
This week, #DamienTalks with Doran Barnes, the executive director of Foothill Transit and the Chair of the Board of Directors for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
Our conversation touches on a wide-range of subjects including integrating Foothill Transit with the new Gold Line Extension, Measure M and Foothill Transit's ground-breaking electric bus program.
We also talk about both APTA and Barnes' agenda as chair of this national advocacy organization for transit providers. Barnes lists three things he would like APTA to accomplish in the next year, one of which is assuring that the infrastructure needs of the country remain a priority for the incoming administration in the White House once it takes office.
If you want to hear the other two, you're going to have to listen in.
#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”
Today, #DamienTalks with Olga Arroyo and Jean Marie Hance with Community and Construction Relations for the Regional Connector Project in Downtown Los Angeles. With the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) going in the ground next week, it seemed the perfect time to connect with the Regional Connector.
The conversation is wide ranging and goes on for over twenty minutes, a rarity for this podcast. We cover a lot of ground, including:
Despite my best efforts, they would not tell me the names of the stations or the TBM. Even more disappointingly, no matter how many twitter accounts I create and spam them, I will not be able to get a station named after me.
But there is other exciting new. The TBM will be lowered into the ground next week at a special ceremony at the station at 1st and Central. Because it is an active construction zone, attendance is limited. You can get more details for the event in the podcast and can RSVP (if there's space) by emailing regionalconnector@metro.net.