Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/joel-zlotnik/)
Orange County transportation officials this week kick off construction on a $1.9 billion expansion of the Interstate 405 San Diego Freeway between Costa Mesa and the county’s border with Los Angeles, one of the nation’s busiest interstate highway sections.
A February cyber attack on Orange County Transportation Authority servers resulted in the total shutdown of email, voicemail and numerous other services. Officials kept the attack secret, which could be a violation of the state’s open meetings law.
The new plan, which includes 14 changes to the original proposal, comes after dozens of bus riders, many who are dependent on the system as their only transportation, showed up to previous board meetings to protest the planned cuts.
While the number of people riding public buses took a hit nationwide after the Great Recession, Orange County’s 30 percent decline since 2008 is the worst among Southern California counties.
With ridership declining, the Orange County Transportation Authority is planning to cut two bus routes that some public transportation advocates say will reduce bus access for underserved communities in Santa Ana.
Orange County Transportation Authority buses have failed to show up on dozens of occasions over the last six months, leaving many riders stranded and angry. The failures can be attributed to bus services that have been outsourced to a private contractor.
The Horizon Cross Cultural Center, which provides supportive services to Vietnamese immigrants, was accused of intentionally overbilling three local agencies.
While some cities, like Santa Ana, are aggressively competing for state grants; others, like Garden Grove and Buena Park, aren’t.
A central premise behind a controversial proposal to add toll lanes to the 405 freeway came under attack at a public forum Tuesday evening.
Finishing last among three bidders, the former mayor and OCTA director alleged improper contact between staff and other bidders.