Welcome to the November issue of Rail Mail! Things have settled down after the election, and I'd like to share with you what's been going on since the September issue of Rail Mail. I hope you find these updates useful, and as always please don't hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns. 

After Midnight

Patsy Cline went “walkin’ after midnight,” but she didn’t have a Bay to cross. I am more a fan of the rock boogie written by J.J. Cale and made famous by Eric Clapton. Keep your Clipper card loaded when going out on Friday and Saturday so you can continue to boogie after midnight when BART trains stop.

In 2004, I joined others to lobby for late-night transbay bus service in the voter-approved bridge toll increase. Now, as a BART Director I am pleased to announce--starting before Christmas--an expansion of the weekend service to carry workers, residents and visitors along BART lines every 20 minutes until 2:30AM!

The AC Transit and BART Boards approved an agreement in October to begin a long-awaited BART Shuttle Service Pilot. AC Transit will operate the late-night bus service which will expand on their existing routes 800 (San Francisco to Richmond BART) and 801 (downtown Oakland to Fremont BART) and will add a new line serving Pittsburg/Bay Point BART. The plan also extends the service in San Francisco to 24th Street/Mission.

These extra buses will provide more frequent and expanded service to those who rely on transit when BART isn’t in service. I look forward to sitting through extended encore performances or relaxing with friends after a show without fretting over catching the last train!

Our campaign to put riders first has been on an incredible winning streak! First we won the endorsement of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Alameda County. Next we earned the support of the Alameda County Carpenters Local 713. Then we received word the Metropolitan-Greater Oakland Democratic Club endorsed our campaign. And finally, last Friday, while reading through the Oakland Tribune’s editorial page we came across the big bold headline: “Re-elect Raburn to BART Board.”

While I’m honored to win every one of these endorsements, the fact is, endorsements don’t win elections, voters do. And if there’s one lesson we've learned in this campaign, it’s that when voters hear our message, and learn about my accomplishments while serving them on the BART board, they support our campaign.

In other words, we need your help getting our message out. There are all kinds of ways you can do that, so whatever suits you, suits us.

Please consider volunteering for any of the following activities: display or deliver campaign signs, make calls, host a house party, walk precincts, or pass out flyers at a BART station or local “hot spot.”

I am pleased to announce that both the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay have endorsed me for election on November 4!

I’m proud to be acknowledged by these esteemed organizations for my work to protect our environment. I have successfully advocated for alternatives to driving for over 20 years (See: 1995 Clean Air Champion). Reshaping our cities is crucial to accommodate an expected 2-million more people in the Bay Area by 2040. To meet statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals, we must house people and create jobs near transit!

Join the Sierra Club in spreading support among voters about my environmental credentials. Please contribute $25, $100, $1000 or more to my campaign because I want to continue to work for you!

I hope this edition of “Rail Mail” finds you well.

The June 30 deadline for donation reporting is rapidly approaching. Reaching our goal by that date is critically important to our campaign. If you haven't already, please make a contribution today to our campaign.

Several of my reforms and initiatives at BART have recently yielded dividends. You might have seen the recent news that the BART Board voted to support the Fleet of the Future design to include the bike racks in the center door area and will continue to evaluate the wheelchair and pole design during the prototype train testing in late 2016. The Board also followed my lead in adopting a $6 fare for the Oakland Airport Connector. This is a reasonable fare rather than ask our 400,000 daily passengers to subsidize the ongoing operations and maintenance for this costly new extension.

Inside you can read about the adopted budgets for both BART and the State of California. I am proud to have promoted reinvestment in BART’s core system, and Transit Oriented Development to reduce statewide emissions. We are making progress!

In this month's edition of Rail Mail, I am excited to announce a new BART fleet prototype, transportation trends for the Bay Area, and a recap of my trip to Washington DC for the American Public Transportation Association’s legislative conference.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter, and as always I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

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Friends,

In this edition of my regular newsletter, Rail Mail, I focus on what’s been happening lately at the 19th Street Oakland station, and everything we are doing at BART to make your experience there better.

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Friends,

Robert

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Friends,

I am writing to introduce my new email newsletter, "Rail Mail," which I would like to use to keep in touch with you about what’s happening at BART and in our community.

I want to give you the ability to make an impact on the decisions made by the BART Board and the opportunity to shape how BART moves forward.

So, here we go. I hope you enjoy our first installment. And please feel free to write back ([email protected]) with any comments, questions, or concerns.

Thanks so much for reading.

Robert