The following items are excerpted from news releases issued by the California Transit Association members. If you are a member of the Association and would like to submit an item to be considered for inclusion in the Member News Library, please email your press releases to Managing Editor Jacob Herson (jake@caltransit.org). Photos and cutline information with your news release submissions, when possible, are encouraged.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit) Joins Transportation Leaders Nationwide to "Put the Brakes on Human Trafficking” 
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit) is doing its part to spotlight the growing epidemic of human trafficking in the communities we serve.
Local and regional law enforcement are leading this critical work. To magnify efforts to contain and eliminate human trafficking, AC Transit is supporting the lead of the offices of Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton, along with county law enforcement, Alameda County and Contra Costa County Sheriffs, to heighten public awareness of this issue.
AC Transit Human trafficking Awareness training of bus operators and road supervisors began December 2020. This training commenced with the support and guidance of the Alameda County District Attorney and the Alameda County Sheriff’s offices. One hundred percent (100%) of the road supervisors have completed the training and by the end of December 2021, the vast majority of bus operators will have completed the training to recognize and report signs of human trafficking as part of a District standard training curriculum.
Alameda County, in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, is the third highest “hot spot” for human trafficking in the United States. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office reports that 4,700 youth are victims of sex trafficking. Sixty-one percent (61%) are African American, followed by 15% Latinx, 12% Caucasian, and 12% Other. The Contra Costa County District Attorney reports that it is also identified as one of the national hot spots for human trafficking. Four hundred (400) youth are sex trafficking victims and there has been substantial reasoning to suspect an underreporting of the activity.
The International Labor Organization estimates that as many as 24.9 million children, women, and men globally, including 100,000 in the United States, are forced into prostitution, domestic servitude, or other enslaved labor. The victims are often young girls and women. Young girls are 57.6% of forced labor victims and 99.4% of sex trafficking victims, making human trafficking one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world.
In Spring 2020, AC Transit’s Board of Directors adopted Resolution No. 20-019, which unequivocally declares our solidarity with nationwide Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT). Additionally, AC Transit signed a pledge to join the US Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and other leading transportation authorities in taking the following action: (1) educating our employees on how to recognize and report signs of human trafficking, and (2) raising awareness among the traveling public.
AC Transit highly commends our fellow transit partners who have organized Transportation leaders to put the brakes on human trafficking.
If you need help or if you see warning signs that someone else may need help, please notify the designated hotline by calling (888) 373-7888 or texting 233733; or call 911.
Important phone numbers
TO REPORT IMMEDIATE DANGER, CALL 911.
FOR 24 HOUR HELP, CALL THE NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE: (888) 373-7888 OR TEXT BEFREE (233-733)
FOR ALL NON-EMERGENCY REPORTS, CALL THE ALAMEDA COUNTY HEAT WATCH TIP LINE: (510) 208-4959
FOR ALL NON-EMERGENCY REPORTS, CALL THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HUMAN TRAFFICKING TIP LINE: (925) 957-8658 or make contact online.
Golden Empire Transit District’s On-Demand GETbus Now Provides Rides to Students 12 and up who Show a Current School ID
On-Demand is the New RYDE, but better. On-Demand is a flexible public transit service designed to improve connections to transit hubs and popular destinations like shopping centers, doctor appointments and grocery stores.
On-Demand now services Micro-Transit in the Southwest area of Bakersfield and GET-A-Lift. On-Demand services can pick you up from home and take you where you need to go. Download the Get On-Demand App by clicking here.
For more information please email ondemand@getbus.org or call 661-869-6380.
TRANSIT PEOPLE AND HAPPENINGS
Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) Names Martin Erickson Executive Director
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) selected Martin Erickson to serve as executive director. He currently is the public transit director for VCTC, Ventura County’s regional transportation planning agency.
Erickson succeeds Darren Kettle, who was named CEO of Metrolink in September 2021. Mark Watkins, former city manager for the city of Ventura, has served as VCTC’s interim executive director since September.
Erickson was selected after a four-month recruitment process that drew more than 30 applicants. The commission interviewed the final two candidates in closed session during a special meeting on Thursday, Dec. 16, and ultimately chose Erickson. The commission will consider approval of a formal employment agreement during its regular monthly meeting at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 7.
“Mr. Erickson has a deep understanding of transportation and public transit issues,” said Ventura County Supervisor and VCTC Chair Kelly Long. “His knowledge of Ventura County combined with his experience building partnerships with local, regional and state agencies makes him the ideal candidate for this position.”
Erickson joined VCTC as public transit director in 2016. He oversees all VCTC programs related to public transit, including Intercity bus service, Regional Transit Technology and Rideshare, as well as VCTC’s partnerships with regional bus and passenger rail operators. Most recently, Erickson coordinated the rollout of VCbuspass, VCTC’s new regional bus pass and contactless payment system. Erickson also leads VCTC’s Transit Integration and Efficiency Study, a project aimed at identifying potential improvements in local and regional bus transit. He serves on the federal legislative committee of the California Transit Association, a statewide organization that advocates on behalf of transit agencies.
“I am grateful for the confidence the Commission has placed in me to continue my public service journey as VCTC’s next executive director. I am excited to work with and lead such a dedicated team of professionals that comprise the VCTC staff,” Erickson said.
Erickson has more than 25 years of public transit and transportation experience, including as manager of government affairs at the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District and deputy city manager for the city of Oxnard, where his responsibilities included management of the city’s transit services program. Before joining VCTC, he was deputy chief executive officer for Santa Barbara County. He started his career as director of government affairs at the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce.
Erickson received a bachelor’s degree in history from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in management, economics and politics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) Board of Directors Unanimously Elects Temecula City Councilmember Zak Schwank Chair .png)
The Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) Board members have unanimously selected Temecula City Councilmember Zak Schwank to lead the RTA Board of Directors for 2022.
As chair, Schwank will be responsible for leading the Board in setting policy, guiding Agency priorities, conducting the Agency’s Board meetings and representing the Agency during public events. Schwank, who has been on the Board since 2019 and served as vice chair during 2021, fills the position most recently held by Hemet City Councilmember Linda Krupa.
“I am honored to be selected by my fellow Board members for this important position,” Schwank said. “RTA is working hard to recover from the challenges of the past few years and I’m thrilled to be part of this important chapter in our history. This is truly an exciting time to be a bus rider.”
Exciting indeed. Over the next year or so, RTA is focused on kicking off a microtransit program in the Hemet-San Jacinto area, opening a new transit center in Riverside, and continuing programs to offer free rides to youth and college students. Much of the Agency’s efforts will be spent regrowing ridership in the wake of the pandemic.
“We are pushing hard to give people more reasons than ever to ride the bus,” Schwank said. “We are more motivated than ever to propel this Agency forward into a brighter future, to make good on our unwavering pledge to be the best transit system in the business.”
In addition to his responsibilities on the Board of Directors, Schwank also serves on RTA’s Administration and Operations Committee and is a longstanding member of the Southwest chapter of Transportation NOW, a grassroots group dedicated to promoting public transportation in the region.
Schwank has lived in Temecula with his wife and children since 2001 and was elected to the Temecula City Council in 2018. Prior to being elected, he served on the Temecula Community Services Commission from 2012-2018. Schwank currently represents the cities of Menifee, Murrieta, and Temecula as a Regional Council Member of the Southern California Association of Governments. He enjoys hiking and biking with his family and is currently pursuing a degree in political science at California State University, San Marcos.
RTA Board members also voted City of Calimesa Mayor Pro Tem Linda Molina as vice chair and Canyon Lake Mayor Jeremy Smith as second vice chair.