Bart Reed goes to Washington

“Bart Reed goes to Washington”
Friends 4 Expo created a Washington, DC presence,
as I, Bart Reed went to tell the Expo story to Members
of Congress and our U.S. Senators. It was truly a grass roots effort with Friends 4 Expo members contributing $25 to $2,000 to get me to Washington, so I could meet face to face with legislators such as Henry Waxman, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Xavier Bacerra, Lucille Roybal-Allard, David Drier and Diane Watson. It was the pinnacle of my career to date to speak with our elected officials and to tell the F4ET story. I wish you could have all been there to hear and see first hand, as I recounted the endless hours and the tireless work that all the volunteers have contributed.

But our work is still incomplete. I am returning to Washington, DC on Oct. 2 to attend the RailVolution conference and to personally revisit our elected officials to continue the fight for T-21 renewal authorization to get the complete funding for Expo. I need your help. I need your help to get me there, (and to get me home), to be your voice to continue our work that is so close to a positive outcome for the Exposition Line.

Additionally, I also met with MTA / BRU Consent Decree Special Master Donald Bliss. I was allowed 30 minutes, which turned into two hours, as he was intensely interested with all the information I was able to provide. Mr. Bliss has a keen sense about the importance of bus and rail service and it is my opinion, after meeting with him, that he will make positive decisions regarding the consent decree, not knee-jerk reactions under BRU pressure. All the more reason to help get me back to Washington, as Special Master Bliss is moving forward regarding the Consent Decree.

I presented a White Paper to Mr. Bliss in April on the issues of how to control and better address bus overcrowding with practical suggestions such as asking MTA to order larger capacity buses and to hire street supervisors, which MTA has since acted to implement. Now, since Mr. Bliss is asking the BRU and the MTA for their respective solutions on the issue of bus overcrowding, and the BRU is not responding, it is especially important for me to meet with Mr. Bliss again to present my next White Paper containing additional ways to run our buses smarter, so that funding for the Expo Line is not jeopardized.

I spoke with and personally handed our Expo Presentation Package, to over 15 Members of Congress and to both our U.S. Senators, as well as to FTA administrator Jennifer L. Dorn and to Mr. Bliss. It was gratifying to hear acknowledgement of the Expo Line so far from home. As we all know, Expo will be approved to start building from downtown L.A. to as far west as Robertson in the first phase and is using state funds to get started. Our fight is on to get the Federal Funding in TEA-3 for the complete route all the way to Santa Monica.

As you are all aware, I am very resourceful and thrifty, when it comes to other people’s money. Last trip I stayed at the Allen Lee Hotel. I was unaware they didn’t supply washcloths, that the bathroom was down the hall, and there was no air conditioning in the middle of a heat wave, but at least it was better than staying in a homeless shelter.

Please send your Tax Deductible contributions to help me get back to DC. Please send checks payable to: SEE/The Transit Coalition, 12463 Telfair Ave., Sylmar, CA 91342-3736.

Thanks for all your support! I am bringing my own washcloth to keep the expenses down.