Candidate for
Director; Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District

Dear AC Transit District Voters:

I respectfully request your vote for reelection as an at-large director of the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District ("AC Transit"). With 1.4 million constituents (the equivalent of two and a half congressional districts) and little ability to raise money, I am doing a low cost campaign depending on endorsements from groups with strong contacts in the community and an active electoral program. As you can see from my endorsements elsewhere on this site and from the non-commercial adds and slate cards you have received, that campaign has been successful.

Looking beyond the current fiscal crisis, AC Transit has a great deal to be proud of since I came to its Board in 1997. Some examples:

● Environmental Justice. AC has put Environmental Justice ("EJ") at the forefront of both our policies and our actions. We adopted a policy strongly supporting Environmental Justice and sponsored an conference on EJ in transportation. More importantly, we have done extensive EJ analyses on all of our major decisions to insure that our actions have the greatest possible benefit for and least detriment to disadvantaged communities. I have been and will continue to be a strong supporter of AC's EJ efforts.

● Air Quality. Since I have been on the Board, AC has reduced the asthma causing particulate matter from our bus engines by 93% and will reduce it another 5% in the next three years. We have reduced our smog causing oxides of nitrogen by 51% and will reduce them another 23% over the next three years. When we finish installing the Cleair filters in two months, our fleet will meet the California Air Board 2007 standards + 3 years early! For the future, we have one of the largest hydrogen fuel cell bus programs in the world--grant funded so that it does not impact current service. I have been and will continue to be a strong supporter of our clean air programs and have been and will continue to be the Board's primary proponent of the fuel cell program.

● Funding. I have participated in aggressively seeking funds from all possible sources: Sales taxes + Measure "B" in Alameda County, Measure "C" in Contra Costa County and Proposition "K" in San Francisco; Parcel tax measure "AA" in Northern Alameda County; Toll revenues + Regional Measure 2; an equitable share of funding from MTC (including attempts to restructure the MTC) and lobbing for other state and federal funds. I will continue to actively seek funds for our riders from all possible sources.

● Auto Independence. In the core of our district, we enable people (the 61% of our riders who use us regularly, including the 31% who do not have a car in their household and all others) to be largely independent of their automobiles. For riders on the periphery of our District, I lobbied thorough the most progressive park and ride policy in the country. Car users must pay all of the operating costs of the lots and, unless prohibited by some other funding source, pay the amortized capital costs of the lot(s) as well.

● Service Improvement. After years of effort, we have shelters. Shelters may not seem like a big thing, unless you have to wait in the rain for a bus. We have begun a Rapid Bus program. Our first line, the San Pablo Rapid, has been a stunning success with 65% more ridership than the former limited, a 20% ridership increase in the corridor and about 20% of riders coming from the private automobile. I support completing the city and county public works projects in the San Pablo Design Guidelines. We have new buses that are the envy of the industry. I will continue to actively advocate for our riders.

All of this progress has been overshadowed by our fiscal problems. When the District was established, it had a stable source of property tax funding. That was eliminated by Proposition 13 and we have become increasingly dependent on volatile sales taxes. Those taxes dropped drastically with the dot crash which has forced us to cut service about 13%. Luckily (largely through the foresight of former director Williams) we had anticipated that we might gain or lose substantial funds and we have an adopted Service Deployment Policy. That policy insures that we have a fair and socially equitable system to increase or decrease service. The cuts are painful in a general sense, but as fair as possible given the fiscal hand we and our passengers have been dealt.

The situation almost got much worse as the governor's proposed budget proposed to take 40% of our remaining property tax receipts--about $20 million per year or 8% of our budget. To put that taking in perspective, all the cuts we have made in the last year and a half total about $25 million. It equals all of our weekend service or a $3.50 single ride fare. All the easy cuts, to the extent there were any, had been made. With an enormous effort, strong community support and with your support and that of the rest of our delegation, we were able to limit the taking to 3% of our property tax or $1.5 million per year. This is no time for an inexperienced board member.

Last, but not least, I practice what I preach. I have ridden AC, both transbay and local, since before I moved to the East Bay in 1975. About four years ago, I put my 1966 Volvo up on blocks and go everywhere on public transit.

I would appreciate your vote for reelection as an at-large member of the AC Transit board this November. If you would like any further information or have any questions, please contact me by e-mail (chris_peeples@yahoo.com) or call me at 655-4438.

Sincerely,

/S/

H. E. Christian Peeples