Oakland Airport connector ignored civil rights laws
By Juliet Ellis, Mahasin Abdul-Salaam

The Federal Transit Administration pulled $70 million in stimulus funds from BART's Oakland Airport Connector project last month based on our civil rights complaint, finding that BART ignored civil rights laws. Fortunately, the Bay Area didn't lose that funding - it was distributed among the region's ailing transit systems. But the transit administration's action makes it clear that public money must be spent fairly or agencies will be held accountable.

A project isn't "shovel-ready" until it is fair. Agencies receiving federal funds are legally obligated to ensure that low-income and diverse communities share fairly in the benefits of that funding. To do so requires analysis and community involvement. BART failed to live up to these responsibilities.

As the project evolved, the anticipated round-trip fare rose to $12 (plus BART fare), and intermediate stops that could have given workers access to hotel and retail jobs en route to the airport were eliminated. But BART didn't study whether those features excluded low-income and minority riders from the project's benefits, and East Oakland communities never had a chance to have their say when the airport tram project was revised.

Our groups expressed our concerns to both BART and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the agency that oversees the regional distribution of federal transportation dollars. But we were ignored, so we took our complaint to Washington. And the Federal Transit Administration backed us up.

Since then, BART has continued to insist it did nothing wrong. But it has also vowed to make its civil rights practices the "gold standard." Now is the time to turn these words into action.

BART can begin by working with the community on an airport connector plan that shares benefits with East Oakland residents as well as airport travelers. That includes seriously studying alternatives like Bus Rapid Transit. Instead of a $492 million slow cable car that dumps passengers in the airport parking lot at double the current fare, the Bay Area can have a faster, cheaper and more convenient airport connection that also serves the needs of the East Oakland community.

For its part, MTC can thoroughly examine its long list of proposed transportation projects to make sure they promote civil rights. This critical review has never been done. Both BART and MTC can usher in a new era of respect for accountability, transparency, and fairness for all.

Juliet Ellis of Urban Habitat and Mahasin Abdul-Salaam of Genesis represent, along with Public Advocates Inc. and TransForm, the organizations that brought the civil rights complaint.

This article appeared on page A - 10 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/30/EDHC1CNESM.DTL#ixzz0kLifb9zE

--

Complaint derailed funding for Oakland jobs
By George Holland, Ron Silva

The statistics are stunning: With a 65 percent minority population and an 18 percent unemployment rate, Oakland is near the top of the nation's jobless chart. So when the region looked for the most effective way to spend $70 million in federal stimulus money, the BART Oakland Airport Connector became its signature project.

In the short run, the connector would help revitalize Oakland's economy by providing thousands of jobs - many targeted to local hires. In the long run, the connector will elevate Oakland Airport's prestige by providing a world-class train-to-plane connection - a crown jewel in the East Bay's efforts to attract tourism and the corporations essential to its future economic vitality.

By replacing the AirBART bus, which is often delayed by traffic on Hegenberger Road, travelers will be assured with 99 percent certainty that they'll arrive on time for their flights. That's because the pollution-free connector trains will be elevated above traffic and depart every four minutes from the Coliseum BART Station, arriving at the airport in just eight minutes.

For nearly two decades, low-income and minority communities fought for this project and won the region's approval through extensive public outreach. Their broad support came from voters, trade unions and the elected officials representing, among others, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Port of Oakland, the city of Oakland and BART.

Then, out of nowhere, a small group of connector opponents began pushing for a rapid bus concept. The group filed a Title VI Civil Rights complaint with the Federal Transit Administration that ended up diverting $70 million in stimulus funds, de-funding much-needed jobs for Oakland and delaying the start of this shovel-ready project.

Despite their claims, the project delivers on the very social justice goals Title VI was intended to achieve. A project labor agreement ensures that 25 percent of construction jobs and 50 percent of apprenticeship hours go to Oakland residents. Once operating, the connector creates 25 long-term operations and maintenance jobs.

Opponents falsely claim that the connector will serve affluent travelers at the expense of low-income bus riders. AirBART serves primarily middle-income travelers, while local buses serve both the neighborhood and the Oakland Airport. The Airport Connector will not replace local buses.

Opponents also argue that reallocating the stimulus funds will fix local transit. The reality is these one-time funds could only sustain service a few months at best. However, the $70 million in stimulus funds would have allowed BART to leverage an additional $420 million, and for three years, generate good jobs for the construction industry. We've been reassured BART will implement a plan to correct any Title VI deficiencies. This project must get done, if the future of the airport, the region and the lives of Oakland residents are ever to improve.

George Holland is the president of the Oakland Chapter of the NAACP and Ron Silva is the president of the Alameda County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

This article appeared on page A - 10 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/30/EDHC1CNF33.DTL#ixzz0kLjtADwS