Improving Life in Orange County Mile by Mile

Public Comments Welcome at Annual Measure M Public Hearing Feb. 8

2011-01-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee (TOC) is conducting its 20th annual public hearing on Measure M, the half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements approved by voters in 1990 and renewed in 2006. Measure M is administered by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).

The hearing is set for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8 at OCTA headquarters, 600 S. Main St. in Orange. At the meeting, committee members will report their recent activities and take public comment on the implementation of Measure M during the past year.

The independent, 11-member oversight committee was formed to monitor OCTA’s use of Measure M funding, approve all changes to the Measure M plan and hold annual public hearings on the expenditure of funds generated by Measure M.

By March 2011, Measure M will have made possible more than $4 billion worth of transportation improvements. Hundreds of local projects that impact residents every day have been completed.

This includes improvements to nearly every freeway in the county, widening streets, signal coordination and intersection improvements. Measure M also made possible Metrolink commuter-rail service in Orange County.

Orange County voters renewed Measure M in November 2006 by a vote of nearly 70 percent. An Early Action Plan was created to begin delivering transportation improvements before M2 begins in April 2011.

For more information about Measure M and the Taxpayers Oversight Committee, visit http://www.octa.net/. For more information about the Measure M Annual Public Hearing, please contact Alice Rogan, Public Communications Officer at 714.560.5577 or arogan@octa.net.

Chair Pat Bates' 10 Transportation Goals for 2011

2011-01-24T16:28:00.001-08:00

Honoring Southern California's Road Warriors

2010-09-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Golden Pylon Award 2010 winners are Jeff Baugh (KFWB), Nick Pagliochini (KFI), Dianna Olea (KGGI), Denise Fondo (KNX 1070), CHP Officer Saul Gomez (Fox 11) and Dona Dower (KNX 1070).

As I carpooled with Sandy Boyle, an administrator of the rideshare program at the Orange County Transportation Authority, to the Grove in Los Angeles, I was amazed at the web of freeway connectors and the sheer traffic we experienced.

Going to the 14th annual Golden Pylon Awards to honor the Southland's dedicated traffic reporters required us to navigate some of the region's notoriously traffic-choked freeways: 5, 91, 110 and then the 10.

The commute illustrated the importance of National Rideshare Week, which begins the week of Oct. 4 where people are urged to try carpooling, taking transit, biking or telecommuting -- instead of driving solo.

Luckily, we were ridesharing to the event, and it was past the morning commute crush, but it gave me a deeper appreciation of the intensity of Southern California's transportation system that links our everyday lives.

It also gave me a tremendous appreciation of the working professionals who provide us with up-to-the-minute traffic information so we may know before we go or take their advice and use alternative routes.

I was excited to see familiar TV faces and meet the faces behind the radio voices of the Southland's top transportation journalists.

I conducted this audioBoo interview with two of the winners along these videos -- all captured on my iPhone.

Please join me in saluting this year's recipients of the prestigious awards recognizing the men and women who help us navigate the freeways, roadways, busways and railways of Southern California.

Dona Dower, who began her broadcast career with Metro Traffic Control in 1982, reports traffic on KFRG, KNX 1070 and KBBY

Jeff Baugh, a longtime traffic reporter appreciated by countless rush hour fans, helps Southern California motorists navigate their way through the clogged freeways of L.A., Orange and San Diego counties on KFWB

Nick Pagliochini, popular reporter broadcasts live traffic reports on KFI, KTMS, KDB and KTIE

Dianna Olea, traffic reporter, currently monitors and reports on traffic conditions on KGGI, KTIE, KRLA and KJLL

Denise Fondo, a familiar Southland radio personality, tracks the region's freeways on KNX 1070

Saul Gomez, California Highway Patrol officer, who reports traffic conditions on FOX 11 Morning News, Univision 34 morning news, Primera Edicion of Univision 34, 6 p.m.,and on radio stations KWRM Radio Mexico mornings; KFRN 1280 Family Radio, La Poderosa 1550 and on the Internet Real Time Traffic internet show on Myfoxla.com for Fox network

OCTA is proud to sponsor the Golden Pylon Awards other regional transit agencies: Metro in Los Angeles County, Riverside County Transportation Commission, San Bernardino Associated Governments and Ventura County Transportation Commission.

And although I couldn't offer a personal "thank you" to every single award winner, I wanted to thank them here on this blog for sharing my tweets and Facebook updates on our freeway construction projects and status of our Metrolink trains and OCTA buses.

Please join me in giving them a well-deserved shout-out for keeping Southern Californians moving.

Tell me who is your favorite traffic reporter. How do they make your commute better?

Near Complete: Rail Safety Devices in Orange, Calif.

2010-09-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Sarah Swensson or @RailSafeSarah on Twitter from OCTA's public communications team shares a preview of rail safety enhancements that will be complete in October.

OCTA is leading the nation in implementing a comprehensive countywide rail safety enhancement program that will make safety enhancements to 50 rail crossings throughout Orange County, home to more than 3 million people.

Using an iPhone, Swensson shares a preview of the first safety devices at Palm Avenue next to Chapman University and the Metrolink train station in Orange, Calif. This crossing is among the first nine that will be completed in October and complements OCTA's rail safety awareness program.

SR-57 Project Kickoff with 50s Style Moves

2010-08-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

We celebrate a major transportation milestone -- widening the northbound lanes of the Orange Freeway (SR-57) and getting thousands of Southern Californians back to work.

Here is a music slideshow featuring the kickoff ceremony of the 57 freeway decked out with the 50s theme with labor joining elected officials and Lucy Dunn, CEO and president of the Orange County Business Council.

OCTA board members, city officials and Caltrans representatives gathered Wednesday to kick off the Orange Freeway (SR-57) construction project that will help decrease traffic congestion and create more than 5,000 jobs.

The kickoff ceremony at the El Torito parking lot in Brea featured Lucy Dunn, a member of the California Transportation Commission and president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council, dressed as a "1950s gal" in her poodle skirt and saddle shoes, riding in a 1957 Bel Air Convertible with Jim Adams, a business representative from the Los Angeles / Orange County Building Trades Council.

In a show of unity between business and labor, approximately 30 construction workers walked alongside the classic car driven by James Clark, Crevier BMW general manager.

“What a great ride on the back of a ‘beaut’ of a commute,” Dunn said. “It’s not every day that I get to play a 50s gal. But it’s about honoring our rich and colorful past in Orange County with a back-to-the-future mentality. I joined many of you here two years ago when we launched our "Ready to Work" program — labor and management together — to highlight the fact that here in Orange County, we had shovel-ready projects. I’m thrilled to return here at this very spot overlooking the 57 Freeway to report that we’re ready to roll with another construction project in Orange County.”

The construction project is the first to begin under the Measure M2 Early Action Plan and will add a northbound lane on SR-57 from north of the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) near Orangethorpe Avenue in Placentia to Lambert Road in Brea.

Traffic engineers estimate that 144,000 to 158,000 vehicles use the freeway every day. “OCTA is looking forward to bringing much-needed traffic relief to the thousands of commuters and locals who use this stretch of the freeway on a daily basis,” OCTA Chairman Jerry Amante, also the mayor of Tustin, told the gathering of approximately 100 people.

This $102-million project, with an expected completion date in summer 2014, is the first of two taking place on SR-57. In summer 2011, construction will begin on the second segment, which will add a 3-mile northbound lane between Katella Avenue and Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim.

At the end of the ceremony, Dunn presented OCTA CEO Will Kempton with a clear box containing a pair of his old running shoes with the inscription, “Celebrating one year of hitting the ground running,” to recognize the CEO’s first year at OCTA and his contribution to enhancing the transportation system in Orange County.

All attendees who filled out the feedback survey strongly agreed that the kickoff event was an effective way to highlight the importance of the Orange Freeway (SR-57) construction.

It's National Dump the Pump Day

2010-06-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

I joined three commuters from OCTA to carpool. And we decided that our battle against gridlock is over in traffic-choked Southern California.

I filed this CNN iReport to document our stress-free and quick trip as we declared victory over the gas pump. That's because we decided to Dump the Pump. The working professionals no longer drive alone and instead take transit or carpool.

The participants in the carpool are:

Lora Cross of San Clemente

Denise Revel of Laguna Niguel

Rosalyn Zeigler of Laguna Niguel

Thursday, June 17 is national Dump the Pump day and people across America are freeing themselves from traffic jams by riding transit, hopping on vanpools, joining carpools, biking, walking or even telecommuting to save time, money and the environment. Plus, they get to work or arrive at home relaxed.

Each year, public transportation in the U.S. saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline a year, equivalent to almost 4 million gallons of gasoline per day.

With the horrific oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, anything we can do to conserve makes a difference to save our planet.

What do you think? Will you join me in trying transit, joining a vanpool or carpooling? Just try it once or twice a week. Let me know your experience in going green.

Chickens, temblors and runaways in Orange County

2010-06-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you my end-of-the-day expression is: "Oh, what a day!"

For me, it's an exclamation of how productive, dynamic, challenging or interesting the day was.

Today was more than that. It was just plain bizarre. First, I woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep -- partly because I'm always afraid I'll sleep through my alarm clock before important events.

We had a "Dump the Pump" kickoff event in Fullerton targeting both morning commuters and the morning news show.

KTLA's Eric Spillman interviewed me. Ever the plucky spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, I espoused the benefits of trying transit: let someone else do the driving, enjoy a stress-free commute and get free flame-grilled chicken.

Yes, Simon Oh, our new intern from Cal State Fullerton, donned a six-piece chicken outfit as the camera zoomed in as he passed out El Pollo Loco gift certificates to happy commuters.

(This is when I fall asleep.)

He got a bit claustrophobic (code for embarrassed). So as his mentor -- of course -- I took over as the chicken mascot. By the way, the chicken has no name. What mascot is nameless? And after putting on the furry beast for a mere O.C. minute, I now know why no El Pollo Loco employee volunteered for the early-morning gig.

Of course, I'd do close to anything for a good visual -- including the chicken dance complete with props.

It was only 8:30 a.m. and I was already running late for the next assignment. I came back just in time for the OCTA board of directors meeting where the capacity-only audience applauded because our CEO won the honor as one of the top 10 public works officials in the nation, and the board approved a $1.2- billion budget.

Our next big event of the day was adjacent to a freeway ramp for the much-anticipated groundbreaking of a $328-million West County Connectors that will build carpool connectors and construct other improvements to the I-405, I-605 and SR-22. It's one of Southern California's most-travelled areas with approximately 300,000 vehicles each day.

After an interview with KCAL news, I was ready to make last-minute adjustments for what had been a well-executed event thanks to the superbly organized Christina Byrne, OCTA's community relations officer, and our team of PR superstars.

Nearly everything about the program was flawless. And instead of a cliche "shovel-in-the-dirt" photo-op, we planned for officials hold up oversized puzzle pieces and put them together. Get it? Get connected!

See below for a music slideshow of the event with photos courtesy of Megan Enloe, an extraordinary photographer and engaged citizen.

Then as we were taking our last photos, we heard a loud bang. "Oh, no! Did rubbernecker get distracted and slammed into three vehicles in front of it?" I asked myself.

The crash crunched cars like soda cans with smashed windshields. We were all frozen. Was anyone seriously hurt or killed?

Then suddenly two women from the car that rammed into the other vehicles leaped out and ran toward our event site. A half-dozen police officers chased them on foot. Then, I saw police vehicles and helicopters. Just great -- another SoCal high-speed chase but on our freeway connector event.

Without skipping a beat, Art Brown, our board director and mayor of Buena Park, ran after the suspects. Thanks to the retired law enforcement officer's fast feet, Brown helped nab one of the runaways. Police apprehended the other minutes later. It turned out to be a mother-daughter team evading the police.

Enloe, a Tustin resident and social media practitioner, ran with Brown and captured some incredible photos of the incident. Hear my audioBoo interview with Enloe and find out who she called a hero.

She is my hero for her care and concern to enhance the community. She's been there countless times volunteering her time to capture photo memories at many community events.

Listen!

After being up for more than 19 hours, I was ready to finally hit the sack and just sleep my crazy day away.

Just as I was preparing to sleep, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake rattled Southern California at 9:26 p.m. -- of course.

The temblor was the largest aftershock in a series that have hit the California-Mexican border area since a magnitude 7.2 shook Easter Sunday.

I wanted to blog about my interesting day, but was so exhausted that I finally fell into a deep sleep -- only to be awaken by my alarm clock and the dawn of another day full of possibilities.

What was your most interesting day? And what would you name the El Pollo Loco chicken mascot? I would love to hear about them.

Welcome 'Rail Safe Sarah' to the Blogosphere

2010-03-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Join me in welcoming Sarah Swensson's "Rail Safe Sarah" blog as she provides critically important information on rail safety.

Sarah led the charge for a pioneering effort to reach out to Orange County's diverse communities. She organized a news conference and community roundtable to highlight the importance of rail safety awareness and solicit ideas on how community leaders could help.

OCTA Chairman Jerry Amante and O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen joined more than 100 community leaders and 17 members of the news media in the dynamic discussion.

We want to especially thank Kim-Yen Huynh, president of the Asian American Business Women Association, and Bobby McDonald, president of the Orange County Presidents Council, for hosting the successful event and generating enthusiasm for spreading the rail safety message.

Historic Day for High-Speed Rail

2010-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Jan. 28 could be the birth date for high-speed rail in America. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Bidden are announcing the award of $8 billion in federal stimulus funds to help make bullet trains a reality across the United States.

California is the top recipient of federal funds with the Anaheim to Los Angeles portion of the statewide system an early winner among the contested systems vying for the jobs-producing funds.

Our friends at the California High-Speed Rail Blog are reporting that the Golden State is receiving approximately $2.35 billion in federal passenger rail stimulus funds -- $2.25 billion of that goes directly to high-speed rail.

"California has made signicant investments in passenger rail that have led to remarkable ridership growth," a White House statement read. "Over 5.5 million people per year now ride on California’s three intercity corridors, making these routes the busiest in the U.S. after the Northeast Corridor."

Check out this great map from the TransportPolitic blog of the winners in the race for stimulus dollars. California -- winning one-quarter -- is clearly the victor. But others winners of American Recovery and Reinvestment Funds:

Florida -- $1.25 billion to build a rail line connecting Tampa on the West Coast with Orlando in the middle of the state, eventually going south to Miami.

Illinois-Missouri -- $1.1 billion to improve a rail line between Chicago and St. Louis so that trains travel up to 110 mph.

Wisconsin -- $810 million to upgrade and refurbish train stations and install safety equipment on the Madison-to-Milwaukee leg of a line that stretches from Minneapolis to Chicago.

Washington-Oregon -- $590 million to upgrade a rail line from Seattle to Portland

North Carolina -- $520 million for projects that will increase top speeds to 90 mph on trains between Raleigh and Charlotte and double the number of round trips.

Working on the Railroad to Enhance Safety

2010-01-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Constructions crews, orange vests and traffic cones are signs of the safety improvements coming to Orange County's rail crossings.

OCTA began the Orange County railroad crossing safety enhancement project in August 2009.

Construction crews have been working at railroad crossings in Orange, constructing new medians in the road to deter motorists from driving around lowered gates trying to beat trains.

Crews also are preparing each crossing for new pedestrian gates and railroad gate arms that will notify pedestrians when it is safe to cross the tracks.

Construction hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with night work occurring between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Thursday through Sunday.

OCTA's railroad crossing safety enhancement project will enhance safety features at crossings throughout Orange County. For more transportation updates, visit OCTA's YouTube channel.Once the program is completed, participating cities along the entire rail corridor in Orange County will have the opportunity to implement a quiet zone in their communities. A quiet zone is an area along the tracks where trains do not routinely need to sound their horn.

Motorists and pedestrians can see the progress of construction work at the railroad crossings on La Veta Avenue, Palmyra Avenue, Almond Avenue, Chapman Avenue, Palm Avenue, Walnut Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, Meats Avenue, Batavia Street, Main Street and Eckhoff Street.

For up to date construction schedules and detour routes, visit the project Web site or follow the progress of the project on Twitter at @RailSafeSarah

2009 Year in Rearview

2009-12-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

Because of the economic recession, 2009 will go down as a difficult year for all of us. But we have risen to confront those pressing challenges and delivered for the people of Orange County.

Here are our top 10 transportation stories as we look in our rearview mirror of 2009.

What do you think were the top stories of 2009 and your predictions for 2010?

No. 1

Shovels Break Ground on Riverside Freeway

Underneath a banner that proclaimed "Getting to Work," officials and constructions workers grabbed shovels in November to break ground on the $59.5-million project that will relieve congestion and ease a chronic traffic bottleneck along the Riverside Freeway (SR-91).

This groundbreaking event signaled the long-awaited start of Orange County's largest federal stimulus transportation project that will build a new 6-mile eastbound lane from Anaheim to Corona.

The widening project will add capacity on the eastbound SR-91 freeway between the Eastern Toll Road (SR-241) and the Corona Freeway (SR-71).

"This project was ready to move forward when the funding for construction dried up. If it weren't for the federal funds through the stimulus program, this project would not be moving forward today," said OCTA Board Member Curt Pringle. "This is a huge benefit to our entire community. This investment will have a huge impact on many lives."

The project is funded primarily with $47.9 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) provided additional state funding of $5 million and OCTA contributed $6.6 million from 91 Express Lanes toll revenues.

No. 2

Bus Service Reductions Necessary To Offset Budget Crisis

Due to major cuts in state funding and significant drops in sales tax and fare revenues, the OCTA board of directors voted in November to eliminate 150,000 annual hours of bus service beginning in March 2010 through a combination of eliminating routes, reducing bus frequency, restructuring routes and reducing trips.

"Everybody has been affected by these changes, seniors, people riding ACCESS buses, students from high school to college, mothers with children," Director Art Brown said. "This is something the board does not want to do. If we had our way, we wouldn't cut a minute of bus service."

The board action means that since September 2008, OCTA has reduced 20 percent of bus service — a total of 383,000 annual revenue vehicle hours — to bring service in line with available revenue. OCTA faces a more than $330 million shortfall over the next five years.

No. 3

High-Speed Rail Plan Goes Full Speed

From vision to reality, high-speed rail in California and the nation took off full-speed ahead in 2009.

After the passage of Prop 1A last year, the California High-Speed Rail Authority had a major edge with public support to move forward. Then came the $8 billion available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). With OCTA's $7 million contribution to environmental work on the Anaheim to Los Angeles segment, high-speed rail gained a significant lead over any other segment in the nation, and stands a good chance to receive stimulus funds.

California requested $4.7 billion in ARRA funds for the entire Anaheim to San Francisco system. The Anaheim to Los Angeles segment could receive up to $2 billion, which would be matched with funds from Prop 1A for a fully funded project.

The 27-mile segment would connect to Anaheim via a new transit center, the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center. The station is currently in the environmental phase with construction anticipated to begin in 2011 and the station operational in mid-2013.

No. 4

Goodbye Art Leahy, Hello Will Kempton

The OCTA family said goodbye to Art Leahy at the end of March as he left his post as OCTA's CEO to head the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

A few months later, OCTA welcomed the former head of Caltrans, Will Kempton as he took the reins as the new CEO in August.

Kempton, a 35-year veteran of the transportation industry, brings to OCTA a broad understanding of transportation programs and policies that span the ranks of government from local to the federal level.

"I am impressed with this organization, the board and its employees," said Kempton during an information session in his first week as CEO. "I come to OCTA with my eyes wide open, this agency has a great can-do attitude. The board members are terrific. They are engaged and involved. I am excited about the opportunity to serve in Orange County."

No. 5

Bus Fares Increase Due to Economic Short Fall

The OCTA board of directors voted unanimously to raise bus fares beginning in January 2009.

Regular bus fare increased by a quarter to $1.50 a trip, day passes went up $1 to $4, a one-way senior trip increased 10 cents to 60 cents and senior day passes increased 25 cents to $1.25.

"The OCTA has experienced a 185-percent increase in fuel costs since 2005, and the agency's bus operating budget has experienced an $18-million shortfall," said Chris Norby, former chair of the OCTA board.

"That gap could increase to more than $30 million, depending on whether the state's multi-billion dollar budget gap is resolved."

No. 6

Keeping Pedestrians Safe - Undercrossing Opens in Orange

A new pedestrian undercrossing at the Orange Depot opened in August to pedestrians. The undercrossing allows passengers safer access to trains without having to cross the railroad tracks.

The city of Orange and OCTA hosted a community celebration to commemorate the opening and celebrate the city's important historic milestones depicted on a art instillation in the undercrossing.

"Between 1,500 and 2,000 people use that station every day," Director Carolyn Cavecche said. "Safety is an important issue for Metrolink, OCTA and the city of Orange," who worked together to complete a much-needed safety improvement to historic Old Towne Orange.

Crews constructed the $8-million underpass on budget and delivered the safety enhancement in just over one year.

No. 7

Orange County Sign Unveiled on Santa Ana Freeway

Are we there yet? If you're heading south into Orange County on the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the question just got a whole lot easier to answer. OCTA unveiled a new monument sign in July welcoming visitors and signaling to locals that they have left Los Angeles and are in Orange County.

"Orange County has long ago broken away from its rural and suburban roots and transformed into a distinct metropolitan area and the monument sign is an excellent way to show the unique character of our county," said OCTA Chairman Peter Buffa.

Standing nearly 20 feet tall, the sign was installed as part of the I-5 Gateway Project. OCTA is among 48 agencies around the state that are participating in Caltrans' gateway monument pilot project, which aims to define and signify the character of individual locations throughout the state.

No. 8

Imperial Highway Grade Separation Completed

Completed in December, nearly one year ahead of schedule, the Imperial Highway (SR-90) grade separation project widened and separated Imperial Highway from the existing railroad at the Esperanza Road and Orangethorpe Avenue intersection in Anaheim and Yorba Linda.

The grade separation eliminates wait time caused by passing trains for the 46,000 drivers that use the road every day.

The community has benefited from the project with improved pedestrian accessibility and reduced noise because trains will no longer routinely sound their horns as they pass through Imperial Highway.

Imperial Highway is the first among multiple grade separation projects occurring in the county during the coming years.

No. 9

OCTA Welcomes K-9 Transit Cop 'Foose'

Foose, a bomb-sniffing dog with the Orange County Sheriff's Department, became part of the first K-9 unit for OCTA in February.

The 2-year-old chocolate Labrador was brought in to work for OCTA thanks to the Department of Homeland Security and a $25,000 grant. Foose's mission: to sniff out suspicious packages on buses and rails. The transit K-9 unit also assists with other bomb-squad activity throughout the county.

Sheriff's officials say that bomb threats are not a big problem in Orange County, but that the new K-9 unit would help make the sheriff's department more visible. Foose and his partner, Deputy Timm Pusztai, started working together last December.

No. 10

Technology Improves Communications for OCTA

In the past year, OCTA has harnessed creative ways to reach customers through new technologies.

In November, OCTA launched Text 4 Next, enabling bus riders to use their cell phones to get the next three scheduled times the bus will arrive at their stop.

The OCTA Web site received a makeover in September, with improved navigation and new interactive tools. By providing improved navigation along with detailed information on all projects and programs, customers will find it easier to access information about their transportation needs.

Social media played an important part in OCTA projects this year. From creative messaging to providing media coverage at the SR-91 groundbreaking event, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were cost-effective tools that conveyed important messages to OCTA's customers and stakeholders.

Public Engagement: Clumsy Fingers, Steady Hand

2009-12-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

It’s pretty easy for me to get excited about social media because it’s about the core things that I care about – communications and relationships.

I’ve been in the public relations profession for more than 15 years on both the government and business side, and have experienced firsthand how social media is transforming how we communicate with each other.

As businesses are quickly adapting to the new landscape and figuring out how to utilize social media as part of marketing communications, government is following suit. At least, that’s the prevailing thought.

An argument can be advanced that government or the presidential campaign of Barack Obama fully employed and integrated social media tools – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – into a powerful political arsenal against John McCain last year.

Upon capturing the White House thanks to a surge in young voters who overwhelmingly broke for the Obama camp by a 2-to-1 margin, the social media savvy team delivered on their change mantra, promising accountability, openness and transparency. And in doing so, they shined the public light on an all-too bureaucratic at best and secretive process at worst.

The White House created another YouTube video that featured its new media director, Macon Phillips, sharing ways the federal government is using social media as a resource tool for citizens.

“There is so much potential for how government uses the Web. But it won’t be realized unless you step up and participate,” Phillips exclaims. “So join your government at their Web sites and blogs, through videos and photos, in social networks, widgets and so much more.”

But then the brakes came on July 24 when White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged that the staff were blocked from Twitter. Gibbs even went further to say he did not Twitter and did not know why the executive office chose to block the popular social media site.

At least Americans outside the Oval Office had access to the official @WhiteHouse and @BarackObama Twitter accounts although their own staff from the inside did not.

The news hit home for me at the Orange County Transportation Authority, where I work as the department manager of public communications and media relations. After demonstrating the power and cost-effectiveness of social media, our communications team gained access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites. But other employees did not have access to the same information we were sharing with our stakeholders, the news media and the general public via social media.

President Obama’s trip to China in November took on new meaning during a familiar American-style townhall meeting in the closed-society of the People’s Republic of China.

The question making headlines came from the U.S. Embassy Web site and was read by Jon Huntsman, U.S. ambassador to China. “In a country with 350 million Internet users and 60 million bloggers, do you know of the firewall?" Huntsman read. "And second, should we be able to use Twitter freely?'

'I have never used Twitter. My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone.'

In a country where the government censors Web sites and blocks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, here is President Obama’s response: "I have never used Twitter. My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone. But I am a big believer in technology, and I'm a big believer in openness when it comes to the flow of information. I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable. They can begin to think for themselves. That generates new ideas. It encourages creativity."

The president continued by saying that he has "always been a strong supporter of open Internet use. I'm a big supporter of noncensorship. This is part of the tradition of the United States that I discussed before, and I recognize that different countries have different traditions. I can tell you that in the United States, the fact that we have ... unrestricted Internet access is a source of strength, and I think should be encouraged."

He concluded to the crowd of 400 hand-selected students from China’s leading universities: "I should be honest, as president of the United States, there are times where I wish information didn't flow so freely because then I wouldn't have to listen to people criticizing me all the time … I think people naturally ... when they're in positions of power sometimes think, 'Oh, how could that person say that about me,' or 'That's irresponsible.' … But the truth is that because in the United States information is free, and I have a lot of critics in the United States who can say all kinds of things about me, I actually think that that makes our democracy stronger and it makes me a better leader because it forces me to hear opinions that I don't want to hear. It forces me to examine what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis to see, am I really doing the very best that I could be doing for the people of the United States."

It wasn’t his candor of the free-flow of information (that we often take for granted as Americans), but the response that he doesn’t Twitter that caught my attention. His disclosure became a red-hot trending topic on Twitter. I also was perplexed at the huge disconnect between the White House ban of Twitter on its staff and the president’s rhetoric as he lectured the Chinese students in Shanghai on how access to information has made U.S. democracy stronger.

Are we really to believe the avid user of BlackBerry and tech-savvy president doesn’t Twitter because he has clumsy fingers? Does he not know that one can tweet from a regular-sized keyboard on a computer? And what are we to make of those highly personal posts from his @BarackObama Twitter account with more than 2.7 million followers:

· The morning of the Nobel Peace Prize announcement, he simply wrote: “Humbled”

· On Thanksgiving Day, he tweeted: “From my family to yours — Happy Thanksgiving.”

· “Michelle receives this year's White House Christmas tree yesterday. Watch the video: http://bit.ly/4o90RN” was the last tweet on Monday, Nov. 30.

Does this administration really think it can fool Americans, especially the generations that been bombarded with marketing and advertising campaigns most of their lives that they can smell insincerity a mile away? How open, transparent or authentic is this administration if they encourage open access to government and employ ghost-twitterers to get that message out without the benefit of public disclosure, and yet the president’s spokesman doesn’t utilize social media because he said we already see enough of him during news briefings?

But the true challenge is to continue to deliver on that promise of change in how government engages with its citizens

No matter what you think about the president, most people acknowledge that he and his team tapped into technology and harnessed the power of social media to maximize public engagement. One public relations practitioner at a recent national gathering of PR professionals even said that President Obama will be best known in history for unleashing the power of technology and bringing it into the hands of ordinary citizens to do extraordinary things.

But the true challenge is to continue to deliver on that promise of change in how government engages with its citizens. Perhaps the national setting inspires change, but its day-to-day implementation best happens at the local level in communities across America such as in Orange County. Tip O’Neill, the late speaker of the U.S. House, famously asserted, “All politics is local.” In today’s setting, it may be appropriate to say that all action is local.

I’m excited to come to Washington, D.C. for Government 2.5 to share our local story on our challenges in harnessing the power of social media, what we did to overcome numerous obstacles to build and sustain a successful new program called “Public E-volvement.”

Unlike the official White House Twitter account with more than 1.5 million followers that responds to only 2 percent, we’re doing better in Orange County albeit with a smaller but growing 15,000 followers. OCTA is responding to people 64 percent of the time. We’re trying to engage the public and building our numbers. And we’re working hard and gaining a following of other governments and public agencies to follow suit.

Abraham Lincoln said it best in the Gettysburg Address: “…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

It’s up to all of us to read, listen, view, comment, disagree, share, participate and engage at the level of government where we can see tangible results – in the backyards of communities across America.

And it’s equally important for innovative employees in government to be brave and bold in contrast to the comfort of the status quo and actively do adventurous work for the public good – even with clumsy fingers.

Rail Safety: Too Close for Comfort

2009-11-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

This news video is another example of the importance of rail safety. Thanks to the quick action of passengers and a train operator in Boston, the story does have a happening ending.

Jumping (Secretly) for LinkedIn Author Neal Schaffer

2009-11-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

Imagine throwing a party by broadcasting it over an intercom system and trying to keep it hush-hush for the honored guest.

That's exactly what happened when the close-knit social media community in Orange County threw blogger and author Neal Schaffer, an advocate for transportation innovation, a surprise bash to launch his new book on LinkedIn. It was no easy task to keep a surprise on the cost-effective tools of social media that rely on transparency and openness for power to drive information to users.

After a short ruse, Schaffer arrived in awe to the warm wishes of 150 people.

Groundbreaking for 91 Freeway and for Social Media in Orange County

2009-11-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

If you live in Southern California, you know about the notoriously traffic-choked Riverside Freeway (SR-91) that connects Orange County and L.A. to the Inland Empire.

Relief is on the way for the 91 freeway with shovels hitting the dirt to start construction.

The Orange County Register's Social Sundays column included the 91 freeway's social media groundbreaking today.

Just days before the groundbreaking, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) created a new Twitter account – @91fwy – to provide information about Orange County’s largest stimulus project. It’s a construction project to widen nearly 6 miles of eastbound lanes – a chronic traffic bottleneck – on the Riverside Freeway from Anaheim to Corona.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking event was OCTA's first to utilize social media to share instant information via Twitter and Facebook. Orange County’s savvy social media practioners joined TV, radio and print journalists in covering the start of construction for the freeway.

Orange County’s social media community provided live tweets of the groundbreaking by videotaping and conducting interviews posting content as the event was happening.

Tweets from the event reached more than 20,000 people with approximately 194,000 impressions or views. That’s a lot of eye balls online without the associated costs of traditional advertising.

In these times of greater public accountability and transparency, social media is providing impressive cost-effective results for OCTA. The new @91fwy Twitter account comes directly from Fernando Chavarria, OCTA’s community relations officer, who provides the public with firsthand knowledge and up-to-the-minute construction updates. He will tweet the widening project’s progress – and its impact – so the public can be in-the-know before they go.

Most importantly, @91fwy will help enhance OCTA’s public involvement program to help us listen to the public and address questions and issues as they are posted. Social media along with traditional outreach strengthens OCTA’s ability to communicate with residents, businesses, the traveling public and other stakeholders to provide the information they need.

Safety Treats in the Streets

2009-10-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

More than 5,000 people participated in the Treats in the Streets festival in Old Towne Orange. OCTA's safety team headed by @RailSafeSarah on Twitter decked out as a train engineer and shared with the youngsters safety tips for railroad crossings.

It's part of the Orange County Transportation Authority's rail safety program, the nation's first comprehensive program that involves rail safety devices at crossing and a public information program.

In addition to traditional treats, Sarah Swensson, OCTA's rail safety specialist, distributed items with important safety tips.

"It wasn't just a typical trick-or-treat evening of fun, but also included important safety reminders for children and their parents," Swensson said. "It was fun to see the kids' smiles and their costumes. But I especially liked the kids who matched my train engineer outfit."

Swensson and the OCTA team will make her next rail safety stop at Anaheim's spooktaculor event -- the Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 in downtown Anaheim at the Center Street Promenade.

Transportation in 2: Impact of Bus Reductions

2009-10-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, Oct. 26 is an important day for Orange County, especially if you're one of the 80,000 people who rely on OCTA buses to get to school, work, doctors office, grocery store or other important destinations.

The OCTA board of directors is conducting public hearing at 9 a.m. to hear from the community on proposed strategies to reduce bus services to address the devastating impact of state budget cuts and dwindling sales tax revenues because of the economic recession.

Tell me what you think. How should OCTA proceed?

Rail Safety: Critically Important

2009-10-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

This astonishing news story from CNN reminds us the importance of rail safety. That's why OCTA has undertaken a safety program throughout Orange County aimed at boosting public awareness of safety.

OCTA's Web site contains vital information about rail safety or you can get the latest update by following rail safety information specialist Sarah Swensson on Twitter.

Tell us what you think we should do to help promote safety in Orange County.

Doggone Fun Aboard Transit

2009-10-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Approximately 90 people and 60 dogs participated in the Orange County Transportation Authority's annual service animal training to help calm the nerves of our four-legged friends and their human handlers with a bus ride that started in Fullerton, Calif. and ended with a fun-filled time at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif.

A special thanks to Pam Peters of the Garden Grove bus base for coordinating the training for Orange County's canines and their human friends.

OCTA media relations intern Elmira Karimzadeh, a Cal State Fullerton student, coordinated the news coverage for the high-paw event Saturday, Oct. 3 and captured the miles of smiles and constant tale wagging.

Twitter Gives Major Boost for High-Speed Rail

2009-10-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Leaders from Southern California joined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a news conference Friday, Oct. 2 at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to officially announce that the state submitted a $4.7 billion application for federal stimulus funds.

Californians approved a nearly $10-billion bond last November for a high-speed rail system that could connecting Southern California to the Bay Area and Sacramento. Gov. Schwarzenegger said California would match the federal grant "dollar for dollar."
California's high-speed rail system would zip passengers from Anaheim to San Francisco in less than 3 hours. Experts concur that because of Orange County's early planning work, the Anaheim to Los Angeles segment of high-speed rail will be the first under construction. The line would take riders from Anaheim to Los Angeles in just 20 minutes, rather than the nearly 1-hour Metrolink train trip that my coworkers and I took to the news conference.

Listen!

"We are one in California with one application and one commitment to high-speed rail," said Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, a board director of the Orange County Transportation Authority and chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. "That's why we want you to join with us in making a commitment and encouraging those representatives that you know in the

federal government so they know that we stand as one in the state of California for the support high-speed rail. We need your support in delivering it."

That help and support came in immediately via new social media tools such

as Twitter. During the news conference, twitterers in Orange County shared messages with their followers.

"High speed rail in CA -- now is the time to start," tweeted Ross Teasely of Dana Point.

Diana Truong, a UC Irvine sophomore, forwarded the support message to her followers on Twitter.

The Orange County Business Council tweeted: "Let the media know your support for high-speed rail."

"Fellow Californians: Please show your support for California High Speed Rail!" exclaimed Newport Beach resident Neal Schaffer, an author of a new book on LinkedIn, to his 40,000 followers on Twitter.

The Costa Mesa Conference and Visitors Bureau shared an audio interview from the news conference to its 1,300 followers. "Hear what Anaheim and OCTA have planned for high-speed rail connecting Orange County with LA and SF," the bureau tweeted.

Listen!

Within just 24 hours, the news conference and online community rally generated 100 tweets displaying Twitter's jaw-dropping power to reach 89,000 people with more than 180,000 impressions.

To learn how to share your support for California high-speed rail, visit http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov and http://www.octa.net/hsr or follow the latest on Twitter with the hashtag: #CAhsr or by following @CAhsr (the unofficial California high-speed rail blog but officially my favorite rail blog) and @CAhsra (the official Twitter account by the state's high-speed rail authority).

Or share your comments here. Do you think it's time to build high-speed rail? Or should other states get the $8 billion in federal stimulus funds?

Fast-Tracking the Future for High-Speed Rail

2009-10-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a 6:15 a.m. Metrolink train from Laguna Niguel to downtown Los Angeles for the big news conference and public rally for high-speed rail.

OCTA Board Director and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, Will Kempton and representatives from Orange County will join other Southern California leaders for the news conference at 9 a.m. today (Friday, Oct. 2) at Union Station in Los Angeles.

Today is a milestone day for high-speed rail in California because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will formally request $4.5 billion in federal stimulus funds to deliver the much-anticipated transit system.

Planning experts widely agree that because of early planning work by OCTA and the city of Anaheim, the first segment of the California high-speed rail line will likely be constructed between Anaheim and Los Angeles.

I'm excited that after a decade of talking and planning, we're on the verge of building a modern rail system for the 21 century that Californians deserve.

Twitter Never Tasted So Good

2009-09-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Social media king Chris Brogan made a visit to Orange County Tuesday. To may homage to Twitter, the new author of "Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust" brought with him the wildly popular Kogi barbecue tacos, a perfect blend of Latino and Korean flavors, to Barnes & Noble for special book signing.

I joined Nancy Luna, Orange County Register's Fast Food Maven blogger, and the patient crowd outside near the OCTA building for an 1.5 hour wait. Like everyone, I wanted to experience for myself the delicious morsels of goodness that has driven Kogi to become America's darling example of Twitter's high-flying success.

Hear what O.C. residents had to say about their first bite of the hybrid tacos.

I also received a special opportunity to talk to the East Coast native about Orange County and social media before he presented to a standing-room-only crowd at Chapman University Tuesday evening.

Listen!

Public Agencies Getting Social Media

2009-09-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

Check out this video recap of OCTA's highly successful Gov 2.0 social media workshops on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Windmills: Harnessing the Power of Social Media

2009-09-20T01:05:00.000-07:00

Government representatives and other public agency officials gathered Friday for Gov 2.0 Deluxe Edition. This no-cost social media workshop at the Orange County Transportation Authority was a follow-up to the wildly popular Gov 2.0 event in July.

Orange County's superstars of social media shared strategies and hands-on experience on how to boost communications with these new cost-effective technology tools.

Neal Schaffer - LinkedIn
Marisa O'Neil - Twitter
Morgan Brown and Sarah Swensson - YouTube
Loren Nason - Facebook
Rochelle Veturis - Keynote

The special event also payed a special tribute to Neal Schaffer of Windmill Networking who authored a new book on LinkedIn due out in October.

Share your thoughts on social media and how it can be used to communicate with the public.

Transportation in 2: CEO Steers an OCTA Bus

2009-09-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

From Greece to Ginza, Munching Through Orange

2009-09-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

For more than 35 years over the Labor Day weekend, the must-be place for a dizzying array of international food is in Old Towne Orange.

It's a charming historic downtown next to the train depot and Chapman University where I get off the Metrolink train and hop on an OCTA bus almost every morning on my way to work. Metrolink trains and OCTA buses will take you the festivities.

This year's Orange International Street Fair is this weekend, and the culinary scene promises to be just as vibrant as past years. The theme might be "Music Makes the World Go Round," but it's the tasty morsels of goodness that make the appetite come back for more.

This evening in the heart of Santa Ana, I reunited with my favorite food blogger Nancy Luna or better known as the Orange County Register's Fast Food Maven. Nancy and I met six years ago when she wrote the popular "Honk" column for the Register and covered OCTA on the transportation beat.

I credit Nancy for recently helping me overcome my initial skepticism of Twitter and social media. I was excited to see her again as we were both guest speakers for an event hosted by O.C. Register reporter Serena Daniels and the California Chicano News Media Association in Southern California.

We talked about blogging, social media, transportation and this weekend's food festival in Orange. See the YouTube video above taken from my Flip video camera. It's dark because of the venue's mood lighting -- highly symbolic of the economic conditions we're all facing. But I hope you'll see the optimism we share from learning new communications tools.

Also, hear the interview from my iPhone AudioBoo. But you'll have to wait and read her recommendations for palate pleasers on her blog.

Listen!

Getting Offline and Talking Transit

2009-09-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Steven Chan, a UC Irvine medical student and blogger of the new TransitRiderOC.com Web site shared with his Twitter followers Tuesday that he was taking two Orange County Transportation Authority or OCTA bus lines to come to the OCTA store.

I intercepted Steven's tweet sent from his cell phone while riding the bus. I fired off a message from my iPhone telling him I wanted to meet him to say hello after being one of Twitter followers and blog readers for the past few months.

A big thanks to Steven for being a good sport as I did this impromptu interview with him using my Flip video camera. I also recorded his comments using my iPhone AudioBoo.

Listen!

Transportation in 2: Rail Safety Event Draws 700

2009-08-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

We organized an event in the sweltering heat to launch a countywide program to increase the public's awareness of rail safety.

Thanks to the more 700 people who joined us for this event to hear important safety messages while enjoying free food and drinks courtesy of numerous food vendors. Adults and kids alike participated in train rides, whimsical face painting and colorful balloons while enjoying snow cones, popcorn, iced tea, fruit drinks and 1,000 kobe beef sliders donated by Ruby's Diner.

A special YouTube drawing announced four lucky people who won some cool prizes donated by sponsors:
1. Inez Burgess of Orange won the grand prize of four Metrolink tickets and a Flip video camera
2. Ron DiMelfi of Anaheim won an iPod and two Metrolink tickets
3. Teri Edwards of Anaheim won a $100 gift card and two Metrolink tickets
4. Irene Colin of Orange won a $50 gift card

But the stars of the show were the newly constructed pedestrian undercrossing and the critically important message of rail safety. Here are some safety tips from the event:

7 Pedestrian Safety Tips
1. Trains can move in either direction at any time.
Look both ways before crossing the tracks.
2. Always expect a train.
Today’s trains are quieter than ever and travel faster than you think.
3. Look in both directions before crossing.
4. Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings.
5. Never cross when the gates are down.
6. Tracks are for trains only.
Never walk down a track – it’s illegal and dangerous.

7 Steps for Safe Driving near Rail Crossing
1. Approach crossing with care.
Slow down when you see a warning sign.
2. Prepare to stop when the gates begin to come down.
3. When the gate is down, stop your vehicle at least 15 feet from the tracks.
4. Only cross the tracks if you are sure your vehicle can completely clear the crossing.
5. Look in both directions before crossing.
6. If your vehicle has a manual transmission, use a gear that will not require shifting until you cross the track.
7. Keep going once you start, even if lights start to flash or gates come down.

The Safety Dance: Undercrossing at Orange Depot

2009-08-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Transportation in 2: Come on Ride the Train

2009-08-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Rail Safety Event Aug. 27 Serves Up Free Fun

2009-08-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

A unique feature of the new pedestrian undercrossing at Old Towne Orange is an art installation called, "Orange in Motion." A budget-friendly family event features 1,000 kobe beef sliders from Ruby's Diner, smoothies and other food along with face painting and kid games. And the best part: it's all free.

A new pedestrian undercrossing at the Orange Depot opened this week to passengers. The undercrossing allows passengers safer access to trains without having to cross the railroad tracks.

The city of Orange and OCTA are hosting a community celebration from 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27. OCTA Chairman Peter Buffa and Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche and Buena Park Councilman Art Brown will join other dignitaries in officially dedicating the undercrossing at a 5 p.m. special ceremony.

The free community event features 1,000 sliders from Ruby's Diner, snow cones, popcorn, smoothies and other drinks along with face painting, balloon-making, mini-trains for kids and booths on rail safety, transit services and other city services.

Community members may win prizes such an iPod, Flip video camera, train tickets and American Express gift cards.

"Between 1,500 and 2,000 people use that station every day," Director Cavecche said. "Safety is an important issue for Metrolink, OCTA and the city of Orange," who worked together to complete a much-needed safety improvement to historic Old Towne Orange.

Crews constructed the $8 million underpass on budget and delivered the safety enhancement in just over one year.

The city of Orange, OCTA and Metrolink built a new undercrossing connecting two rail platforms at the Orange train depot. Construction began in June 2008 and was completed this week.

Sheriff's Team Helps Keep O.C. Transit Safe

2009-08-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

OCTA Security Manager Bruce Gadbois, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, OCTA CEO Will Kempton and Transit Police Chief Lt. Jim Rudy discuss the future of transit security.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchins and Lt. Jim Rudy, chief of OCTA's Transit Security Services, discussed transit security issues with the Orange County Transportation Authority and its new CEO, Will Kempton this week.

The sheriff offered OCTA any assistance that the department could provide "to ensure the safety of Orange County's riders and to keep the transit system safe."

They also discussed vital security services provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department in its 15-year partnership with OCTA.

When the Sheriff's Department began providing transit security services in 1992, Cathy Zurn, then a sergeant, headed the department. Next month, Capt. Zurn retires from the Sheriff's Department with 30 years of service.

"The Sheriff's Department is proud to serve OCTA over the years," Rudy said. "We're going to continue that effective partnership and collaborative effort."

That effort has led to solutions to enhance safety from roundtables with coach operators and transit police, a successful anti-graffiti program and a strong working relationship that ensures OCTA continues to receive quality service.

In a July 29 incident, Deputy Tony Lim received help from coach operator Tony Aidukas in apprehending a repeat fare-evader. When the fare-evader became violent, Aidukas stepped in to help the deputy. Deputy Mike LaBarbera also assisted in the arrest.

Rudy also shared crime statistics that indicate that OCTA has one of the lowest crime rates in the country in terms of size and boardings.

Kempton thanked the Sheriff's Department for its service to the public and said he looked forward to addressing safety issues and other challenges that will inevitably arise in operating a large transit system.

Listen! Want to learn more about what it takes to keep Orange County among the safest transit system's in the nation? I did. To listen to my interview with the county's top law enforcement officers from my iPhone audioBoo application, click here.

A Sneak Peak of the New Undercrossing in Orange

2009-08-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

On my way to work this morning, I stepped off the Metrolink train and was excited to see construction crews putting the final touches on a new pedestrian undercrossing at the Depot in old town Orange.

Irma Hernandez of the city of Orange waved me down and was kind enough to give me a sneak peak of the city's newest transportation amenity tucked in the heart of Orange's historic center.

A unique feature of the pedestrian safety project is an art installation by Laguna Beach artist Marsh Scott called, "Orange in Motion.” Placed along the walls of the undercrossing, two panels pay homage to the city's past with a motif of oranges, leaves and blossoms made of stainless steel interwoven by stainless-steel ribbons imprinted with historic community milestones.

Hernandez also shared with me some other exciting news. The location of the former Cask 'n Cleaver steakhouse -- once a popular spot for rail passengers to grab a drink and a bite to eat before heading home -- will soon have a new tenant, Ruby's Diner.

The mega popular 1940s eatery based in Newport Beach plans to grill up and serve their juicy mini hamburgers called "sliders" at a community celebration to officially dedicate the new undercrossing from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 27.

All are welcome to enjoy the many family-friendly activities planned for the celebration at the train station, 194 N. Atchison St. off Chapman Avenue near the Orange Plaza.

CEO Will Kempton Hits the O.C. Ground Running

2009-08-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

OCTA's new CEO takes a bus ride on his second day to work and compliments the courteous coach operator, the clean bus and the smooth ride.

OCTA's new CEO, Will Kempton, introduced his open-door policy to employees on his first day with a question-and-answer session at the OCTA headquarters.

Employees soon discovered that the new CEO is ready to take the reins and accelerate transportation projects for Orange County, including the high‑speed rail project.

"I am impressed with this organization, the board and its employees," said Kempton during an information session with employees Monday, Aug. 3. "I come to OCTA with my eyes wide open, this agency has a great can-do attitude. The board members are terrific. They are engaged and involved. I am excited about the opportunity to serve in Orange County."

Upon leaving his position at Caltrans, Kempton promised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger he would deliver a high-speed rail groundbreaking in Orange County before the governor leaves office. Other goals Kempton hopes to accomplish while leading OCTA include building better partnerships with other agencies, increasing efficiency and promoting outstanding customer service.

When Kempton took the bus from Anaheim to the OCTA headquarters on Tuesday morning, Aug. 4, the 4-mile commute took a mere seven minutes. Kempton hopes to buy a home close to a bus route or train station so he can utilize public transportation everyday to and from work. He also took the bus on Thursday, Aug. 6, with an Orange County Register reporter and photographer.

"How can you know what the customers are feeling if you are not out there using the system as well," Kempton said. "Taking the train or bus to work is a great way to get to know our customers and improve our service."

Kempton, an avid jogger for 32 years, shared his walk-around management approach with employees, part of his new leadership style. The former Caltrans director wants OCTA to be a workplace of choice with great customer service.

With an initial three-year contract, Kempton looks forward to serving OCTA and working with the board to deliver transportation solutions for Orange County.

A 7-Minute Ride with New Transportation Chief

2009-08-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Will Kempton, OCTA's CEO, and Gilbert Patterson, a 20-year coach operator, discuss protecting transit funding and making OCTA buses a viable option for the public.

Gilbert Patterson was driving his regular bus route No. 83 that starts in Anaheim and ends in Laguna Hills.

The coach operator spotted two people dressed in business suits at a bus stop on Katella Avenue near the Disney resort in Anaheim Tuesday morning, Aug. 4. One had a computer bag and held a pocket-size video camera. The other had a briefcase and asked if he was on the right bus for the OCTA headquarters.

"Yes, I'll drop you off right in the front," the coach operator of 20 years politely replied, not knowing he was transporting OCTA's new CEO on his first bus ride to work in Orange County.

Will Kempton, 62, the former Caltrans director, took his seat among the other passengers, including a nurse, a service worker and a computer programmer.

Kempton, who has never lived in Southern California, browsed through a map to familiarize himself with his new home. He thumbed through different areas of the county until he heard the coach operator ask, "Are you really the new CEO?"

"Yes, I am."

Kempton and Patterson talked about the quality of the bus, the devastating impact of the national economic recession and state budget crisis on OCTA's bus system and how to make transit more of a travel option for members of the public.

"We've got great drivers with excellent customer focus," Patterson said. "I think you'll like it here."

Kempton replied, "I want to get out to the bases and meet you guys."

"Yes, I'm out of the Garden Grove base," Patterson said.

"Now, did I hear that you've been on the job for 20 years?" Kempton asked. "You look too young to be here for 20 years."

With a chuckle, the 42-year-old resident of southwestern Riverside County responded, "Well, you're too kind."

In just seven minutes, the four-mile bus ride from Anaheim to Orange was over.

And Kempton's second day on the job began with Patterson's parting words for his new CEO: "Welcome aboard."

Transportation in 2: New CEO's First Bus Trip To Work

2009-08-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

OCTA's new CEO, Will Kempton, took his first trip to work via an OCTA bus. From the Katella Avenue near the Disney resort area in Anaheim, the former Caltrans chief walked two blocks to a bus stop. He waited for a few minutes and then jumped aboard bus route No. 83 for the nearly 4-mile trip to OCTA headquarters in the city of Orange.

While on the bus, he barely had time to browse a map and talk to Gilbert Patterson, a veteran coach operator, about his plans to protect transit, because the entire trip took only seven minutes.

Transportation in 2: New CEO Talks About Enhancing Transparency at OCTA

2009-08-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

The wait for OCTA's new CEO is over. OCTA is welcoming the arrival of former Caltrans Director Will Kempton, who arrived in Orange County on Sunday after departing Sacramento. He started working Monday morning at OCTA headquarters and shared some remarks with OCTA employees Monday afternoon.

He is planning to take an OCTA bus from his temporary residence in Anaheim to work every day. The new CEO is searching for a home in Orange County pending the sale of his house in the Sacramento area.

Kempton, a 35-year veteran of the transportation industry, brings to OCTA a broad understanding of transportation programs and policies that span the ranks of government from local to the federal level.

OCTA's new CEO brings a deep commitment to public service. Prior to joining Caltrans, Kempton served as assistant city manager for the city of Folsom. Before that, he served on the city's parks and recreation commission for eight years.

Kempton, 62, began his career at Caltrans in 1973. He worked in various management positions in finance and in the director's office at Caltrans prior to his appointment as assistant director of legislative and congressional affairs from 1980 to 1985.

One of Kempton's greatest accomplishments was quickly completing the high-profile reopening of a freeway overpass in Oakland after it closed in 2007 for repairs due to a disaster involving a tanker truck.

Thanks to Will Kempton, the new East Span of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge is back on track with completion expected in 2013.

Kempton served as executive director of the Santa Clara County Traffic Authority for seven years. From 1992 to 2002, he was a partner at Smith, Kempton & Watts, a transportation consulting and advocacy firm that focused on major infrastructure programs.

His extensive experience will ensure Orange County remains a leader in providing transportation solutions for its residents.

"This is a very challenging time for every public agency in California. Finding a new CEO for OCTA with Will Kempton's transportation knowledge and experience at a time like this is a grand-slam home run for us and for everyone in Orange County," said OCTA Chairman Peter Buffa. "Will is one of the most respected leaders in transportation in the country, with a rock-solid reputation that will serve us well."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Kempton to run Caltrans and oversee 50,000 lane miles of state highways, an annual budget of nearly $14 billion with $10 billion worth of transportation improvements under construction and approximately 22,000 employees.

"I'm exceptionally proud of what Caltrans has accomplished over the past five years and it's been an honor to serve the people of California under the leadership of Gov. Schwarzenegger," Kempton said in a news release announcing his resignation. "During my tenure at Caltrans, I have worked in partnership with OCTA many times and I am looking forward to the opportunity to join an agency that is on the leading edge of transportation innovation."

'Transportation in 2' Debuts with Rail Safety

2009-08-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

My colleague Sarah Swensson, OCTA's community relations specialist, dove into the social media scene just this week. She's now on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

She made this YouTube video, the first of regular spots on transportation news called, "Transportation in 2." She didn't do this to create online buzz about a hip party or hype up self-serving fluff. Instead, Sarah is utilizing the power of social media to talk about something deadly serious: Safety along hundreds of miles of train tracks in Orange County.

With residents and visitors crossing the train tracks to get to beaches, schools or work, this message is particularly important in San Clemente, where Sarah visited a class of elementary school-aged youths on the beach learning about rail safety.

Here are some other train safety tips from Sarah:

Tracks are for trains!
They are private property. Walking, jogging or playing on or near the train tracks is considered trespassing and is illegal.

Trains will not always blow warning horns.
Quiet zones will soon be established in residential and business areas along the tracks, so trains will no longer need to blow their horns.

Warning signs save lives!
Approach all crossings with care and do not ignore any warning signs or gates.

As a motorist, never drive around lowered gate
As a pedestrian, always stop, look and listen for a train before crossing the tracks at a designated pedestrian crossing

Never try to beat a train!
Trains can take up to half a mile to reach a complete stop. Trains cannot swerve to avoid people or cars and cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.

Be Rail Safe In Your Community
Sarah and the rest of the OCTA team are committed to keeping Orange County safe around train tracks.

If you are interested in scheduling a Be Rail Safe presentation at your school, organization or community, please call (888) 855-RAIL or RailSafety@octa.net.

Best Bits: 'Bravo for Wildly Successful Gov. 2.0'

2009-07-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

OCTA's Ted Nguyen, left, with Twitter author Deborah Micek and micro-blogger Mark Davidson, lead a discussion on using social media to boost public transparency.

From 'Social Sunday' Column of O.C. Register
As Posted by Jon Lansner on Sunday, July 26

Twitter features an instantaneous pool of information. So, sOCial sunday asked PR person Rochelle Veturis (@rochelleveturis) of LPA architects in Irvine to mine the Twitter river for a haul of Best Bits!

A hearty “Bravo!” for the wildly successful Gov 2.0 event hosted this week by @TedNguyen along with his friends and staff at the OC Transportation Authority.

Gov 2.0? That’s a term now synonymous with social media use by government agencies for communication and community outreach purposes.

The OCTA event featured a panel with some of the brightest stars in the Twitterverse. Attendees (from beginners to advanced) had the opportunity ask questions, meet other social media participants from Orange County, and return home with the ultimate resource – a public e-volvment toolkit.

Be encouraged by the fact that, yes, government and quasi-government agencies are sharpening their social media skills to save you money, work more efficiently and get relevant information into your hands in a manner that’s convenient for you.

If you’re not sure about your city’s social media offerings, shoot them a quick e-mail or look them up in GovTwit (the Twitter directory for government agencies).

The Dynamic Faces of Social Media

2009-07-23T03:29:00.000-07:00

Want to see how social media is done? Check out the video from the premier GOV 2.0 event hosted by OCTA and sponsored by the Social Media Club Orange County.

A special thank you to the Social Media Club Orange County, panelists and all those participating.

We hope you make it to the next activity. Find out more on OCTA's Facebook page or on Twitter -- @TedNguyen.

Overflow Crowd Gathers For The First GOV 2.0 To Increase Public E-volvement

2009-07-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ellen Burton, executive director of OCTA External Affairs Division, gets some assistance from Ben Boyce, an employee with Laer Pearce and Associates of Laguna Hills.

By Ted Nguyen
Manager of public communications & media relations

The best hearts and minds of social media gathered Tuesday, July 21 at OCTA to discuss how to utilize social media to create transparency and accountability as well as bring a level of authenticity to the seemingly endless and faceless bureaucracy of government and public agencies.

Billed as GOV 2.0, an overcapacity crowd of 75 Orange County professionals gathered to exchange tips and share best practices for wildly popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. It was the first event of its kind for government and public agencies in Orange County.

Public Already Gets Social Media

The growing number of Californians using online tools is astounding. It’s especially true in tech-savvy Orange County, according to a recent statewide survey.

Julie Chay, a public information specialist with OC Waste and Recycling, came to the event a bit intimidated by Facebook and Twitter. After spending two hours learning about social networking sites with Ryan Maloney, an OCTA community relations associate, she became a convert.

"It was great to have hands-on learning, so public agencies can engage with the community already communicating on these new media sites," Chay said.

Julie Chay, a Tustin resident and OC Waste and Recycling information officer, nervously awaits her one-on-one session on Twitter with Ted Nguyen, an OCTA manager.

Public Agencies Jumping on Board with OCTA

We planned for a capacity crowd of 50, but made room for the overflow numbers. Hundreds of other people followed the event via live Twitter updates and others from as far as Lithuania, Germany and Asia participated via a live streaming online video thanks to Social Media Club Orange County’s Morgan Brown.

After communicating with many of these giants of the twitterverse in the nation, never mind Orange County, I was excited to take part in an engaging panel discussion.

Community relations associate Kristin Johnson of OCTA, left, shows Tresa Oliveri, also of OCTA, and Rosemary Valdovines, a city of Westminster public information officer, how to use cost-effective tools to perform public outreach.

Bringing the Superstars of Social Media

I was nervous meeting them for this tweet-up. Knots in my stomach tightened as I was feeling oh-so small because my social media experience pales in comparison to these other power panelists. Come on, can I really compare to Deborah Micek who wrote the first book on Twitter? I’m so out of her league.

Then there is Mark Davidson, the king of micro-blogging. He has 46,400 followers! Me, a measly 750 that I was happy with just days before. Or Tami Abdollah, the L.A. Times reporter who got the Times well … ahead of the times with its strong presence on Twitter and Facebook. Or Joel Bishop, the social media guru of South Orange County, who also happens to be a Dana Point city councilman.

Or the faces in the crowd. Some are the superstars of social media. But what are they doing in the audience?!? I should be learning from them. Let’s switch places, especially Rochelle Veturis, the queen of Twitter. And then there is that darn Neal Schaffer. He’s always witty and posts interesting items. No wonder why he’s got more than 21,000 followers.

Dubbed the “power panel” by O.C. Twitterers, the panelists includes moderator Morgan Brown of TurnHere Internet Video, micro-blogger Mark Davidson, L.A. Times reporter Tami Abdollah, Twitter author Deborah Micek, Dana Point City Councilman Joel Bishop and OCTA public communications manager Ted Nguyen.

Sharing and Caring

After listening to the event’s moderator, Brown, a marketing expert from Aliso Viejo, introduce us, I felt even smaller. As we discussed all sorts of topics from how news reporters are using social media to cover stories, diverse ways the public engages with elected officials and public agencies to some pretty interesting discussion on how to avoid pitfalls of launching a social media program, I quickly felt better.

I did know a thing or two about this stuff. And I learned so much more from my new-found friends online and offline.

Then it happened. My "ah-ha" moment! I realized we’re all in this thing together. That’s the point of it all – to help each other "get" social media and share it. And that’s why I love the club’s slogan: If You Get It, Share It.

And we did just that. I passed out T-shirts that I paid for on my own dime to thank these social media veterans. Obviously, it would be a Twitter T-shirt with their online names. And we unveiled a new online tool for OCTA’s new public e-volvement program that will utilize social media to complement our traditional bag of outreach and communications tactics.
It’s in the Bag: Online Toolkit to Enhance Transparency in Government

Because we all serve the same Orange County public, we shared OCTA’s new e-volvement bag of information with other agencies.

I’ve already gotten comments from other public agency folks – John Wayne Airport, County of Orange, city of Anaheim, city of Westminster, city of Orange, the sheriff’s department, O.C. fire and others – thanking us for sharing the cool kit.

Because I take my professional mantra of "If you can’t evaluate it, don’t do it!" seriously, we tallied the results of participants’ written comments. Because of outpouring of positive live tweet postings during the event, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the written surveys. Most people filled out a survey before leaving – 55 out of 75 audience members. And a whopping 100 percent said they either "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that:

Panelists shared relevant knowledge and useful information

Panelists were engaging

Panel discussion was well organized

And 96 percent said they were interested in attending a future session on social media.

"Just attended an inspiring GOV 2.0 seminar on social media put on by OCTA," Julie Senter, a Long Beach PR consultant tweeted to her followers. This was just one of nearly 100 tweets on the premier event.

More Than Just Improving Transportation

At OCTA, we’re not the experts on social media by any measure of the imagination. But we have picked up some nuggets of knowledge and garnered success along the way. We've also experienced some pitfalls during our social media journey. As a public agency serving Orange County's taxpayers, we can’t help but share with others in government and public agencies because we care about enhancing our community.

For us, it’s not just about improving roads, freeways, railways and buses. It’s also about effectively communicating with the public and helping provide them with information they need to make their lives better.
Interested in more social media events? Check out the Social Media Club Orange County to get involved.

Best Hearts and Minds of Social Media

2009-07-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Meet the Power Panelists
Of GOV 2.0 Tweetup

Morgan Brown

Morgan Brown, director of marketing for TurnHere

Morgan Brown is the moderator for the July 21 GOV 2.0 panel discussion. Morgan is an officer with the newly organized Social Media Club Orange County.

Morgan serves as the director of marketing for TurnHere. With a strong background in online marketing, Morgan brings nearly eight years of experience in Web development, search optimization and marketing, permission marketing, loyalty program development, online application development and new media marketing.

Morgan joined TurnHere from New Day Trust Mortgage where he was the chief marketing officer responsible for brand development, online marketing and direct response online lead generation.

Prior professional experience includes online marketing positions at Interactivate, an online marketing agency, where he worked to develop online marketing and new technology strategy solutions for well-known consumer brands Sunkist, Little League Baseball, Sony Pictures, San Diego Padres, MasterCard, Nickelodeon, Universal, and others and SalesMountain.com, a consumer retail price search engine.

Additionally, Morgan has written several published articles and maintains the well-respected finance blog blownmortgage.com for which he was named to "Inman News Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate Bloggers" for 2007.

Tami Abdollah

Tami Abdollah, L.A. Times reporter

Tami Abdollah is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, currently covering Orange County government, the Sheriff's Department and the Orange County Transportation Authority.

She has been with the paper about three years, and just came down to Orange County from L.A., where she worked downtown as a general assignment and environment reporter.

When Tami started with the paper, there were nearly no staffers on Facebook or Twitter. Since then, she's helped the numbers grow into the hundreds. Tami has run a blog as well as worked with video for the L.A. Times. She is a member of the paper's reader engagement committee, which was formed by the editor to work on outreach to readers.

Prior to the Times, Tami worked a couple short stints abroad with the Wall Street Journal in Paris and Brussels. In her spare time she enjoys rock climbing, cycling, skiing and the beach. She speaks a smattering of languages including fluent French, some Farsi and Hebrew. Her twitter account is TamiAbdollah.

Joel Bishop

Joel Bishop, Dana Point city councilman

Joel Bishop is a city councilman in the city of Dana Point. Last year, he was mayor of the beautiful seaside community.

Joel began his migration to Dana Point in the early 1970s when he frequented Strands Beach and dreamed of living in Dana Point. That dream was finally realized in 1994.

Joel has always been actively involved in any endeavor he pursued, and as such became interested in local issues and associations. He served on his homeowner’s association board, and then set his sights for the South Coast Water District.

In 1996, he was elected as a director of the South Coast Water District (SCWD) where he served for 10 years. The water district provides water and sewer service for most of the city as well as south Laguna Beach, and parts of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. As a director and three-time president of the board, he struggled to keep rates as low as possible, while ensuring that aging infrastructure has been repaired or replaced.

Joel is a co-owner of a software and services company in Irvine. Established in 2000, the company has grown from 23 to more than 200 employees across the country. Joel is a strong believer in entrepreneurial spirit and aggressively working toward well-defined goals.

On a personal note, Joel is a father of two. Melanie is 21 and attends UCLA and Dylan is 18 and a senior in high school. Joel has a vested interest in ensuring that Dana Point remains family-friendly and retains the small town atmosphere we have all grown to love. Joel enjoys SCUBA, golf, bike riding, the beach, theatrical art, independent movies, and technological gadgets.

Appointments to public agencies
Representative, South Coast Water District
Representative, Transportation & Communications Committee Member Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
Representative, Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG)
Alternate Representative, South Orange County Major Investment Study Group
Alternate Representative, Orange County Fire Authority
Ocean Water Quality Subcommittee

Mark Davidson

Mark Davidson, micro-blogging and social media strategist

Mark Davidson is a self-described promoter to the stars. Specializing in micro-blogging, social Web strategy and social media marketing, Mark is a product promoter and people are his “product.”

Mark helps people create, manage and promote their blogs online, using social-networking sites, social bookmarking and SEO techniques.

“I call what I do FACT-based marketing: Establishing Familiarity, Awareness, Comfort, and Trust,” his Web site notes. “I believe that’s what social media is all about.”

Deborah Micek

Deborah Micek, author of first book on Twitter

Deborah has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, has been a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine and Honolulu Star Bulletin, a radio show guest for the TV reality series, The Apprentice and is a life coach for the award-winning TV reality show, Dream Makeover Hawaii.

Getting free publicity has become a specialty for Deborah, a highly sought-after new media marketing consultant. Author of the first published book on new media marketing three years ago, “Secrets of Online Persuasion,” Deborah ranks among bleeding-edge experts and trendsetters – all while keeping things simple for her clients.

Deborah recently wrote the first published book on Twitter, predicting the trend more than a year ago. "Twitter Revolution" was published when there were less than 1 million users on Twitter.

With her degree in psychology, Deborah started RPM Success Group ® Inc. as her first consultancy company in 2000 with her partner John-Paul Micek, after running and selling several multimillion dollar companies. RPM Success Group ® Inc. became the only coaching company focused on the science of persuasion for small business owners to grow their business and build their brand from the inside out.

Deborah also is a co-creator of the world’s premier new media marketing software system, Blogi360.com that allowed Deborah the ability to give her clients the unfair advantage to level the playing field with large corporations with big budgets.

Ted Nguyen

Ted Nguyen, OCTA public communications and media relations manager

Ted Nguyen oversees public communications and media relations activities for the Orange County Transportation Authority. Ted has faced and overcome numerous public relations challenges during his more than 15-year work in communications.

His most-recent accomplishment for OCTA includes winning the communications industry’s most-prestigious honor, the national Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America in 2008 for best issues management program during a 10-day strike of bus drivers. The previous year, the OCTA team won the national award of excellence from PRSA for its community relations program for construction outreach for the Garden Grove Freeway (SR-22). In 2007, Ted was honored as the “PR person of the year” by PR News magazine at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Ted has garnered a solid reputation and grounded his communications team because he is a strategic thinker, a driver for innovation, a problem-solver and an ethical consensus builder. He led the OCTA team to be among the first public agency to utilize social media and was a pioneer in launching a comprehensive Web site detailing the progress of federal stimulus funds for transportation.

He has served on the board for the Orange County Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and has been involved in dozens of volunteer community efforts to enrich the lives of families and children in Southern California.

In 2007, he helped raise funds to provide shoes, blankets, clothing and other essential items for an orphanage in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He raised funds through his network of compassionate professionals and personally delivered the much-needed items for the children in poverty-stricken Cambodia.

Tweet, Tweet! Bus and Road Agency on Twitter

2009-07-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

OCTA engages the public with online communications utilizing no-cost social media sites like Twitter, which has exploded in popularity.

From sOCial sunday Column of O.C. Register
As Posted by Jon Lansner on Sunday, July 19

sOCial sunday will frequently ponder how institutions — private and public, big and small — juggle social networking’s challenges and what wisdom we can derive from their ventures.

Ted Nguyen (@tednguyen) of the Orange County Transportation Authority explains why it works for his bus and road agency — in 140 characters!

It’s free! Social media are cost-effective ways to reach an audience that’s huge.
Conversation is already taking place, so we opt to be part of it. You can be engaged as much as you want or need to.
By cultivating relations with followers who trust and care about you, public agencies can achieve transparency and openness.
Be your true self – no fake accounts. I don’t hide behind the OCTA logo. I’m Ted Nguyen and share transportation tweets with the public.
I’m not hard-selling OCTA, but sharing information about services and programs, building relationships of trust one person at a time.
We share messages via conversations with followers and their friends. It’s e-version of word of mouth, the most-trusted form of engagement.
People follow others who share useful or interesting information and not self-serving fluff. Twitter is more powerful as a listening tool.
If you’re passionate about your work and life, your tweets will sing. It won’t feel like a task, but rather be an enjoyable online journey.
Go offline and tweet-up with others and see what they’re doing.
OCTA tweets include news of our new CEO and info links to Web site, Facebook, YouTube and other resources.
We’re honored that businesses turn to OCTA for help in social media. We learned social networking by doing social networking.

PS: OCTA hosts next Social Media Club Orange County on July 21 at 7 p.m. at OCTA HQ in Orange. All are welcome, especially government, education, special agencies, not-for-profits, etc. for a special free session on GOV 2.0. Follow the event #SMCOC.

A Big Welcome Home

2009-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Crews unveil Orange County's new sign on I-5 at the O.C. - L.A. line.

Driving up the ramp on the I-5 you could see the nearly 20 foot tall sign, wrapped in an orange cloth ready to be revealed, and the sea of people in yellow construction vests and hard hats waiting to get the first glance.

I was among the crowd of elected officials, contractors and media folks who stood in the blazing heat to celebrate this occasion, which included comments from various individuals involved in the signs development.

As the program came to a close, the audience’s presence changed. Slight grins crept up the faces of those who were as eager as I to see a structure that will be admired for decades.

Laura Scheper, a lifelong Orange County resident, gave into the temptation and had to pose for some photos herself.

The unveiling was quick followed by a slew of pictures (I admit, I snapped a few shots of myself in front of the sign), and a brief traffic jam as drivers passing by took a look themselves.

The sign not only welcomes visitors and those returning home to Orange County, but it symbolizes the county’s transformation from a suburban community to a thriving metropolitan area. It was incorporated in the $325-million I-5 Gateway project, which is adding two lanes in each direction, reconstructing bridges and on- and off-ramps in a two-mile stretch between the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) and the county line.

I spoke with the fabricator from Outdoor Dimensions, Brian Pickler of Villa Park, and as he talked about the gateway sign, his boyish smile portrayed the authentic excitement he felt for being a part of a symbolic greeting in his home town.

Local dollars, supporting the local economy – that is what I will remember each time I come home and cross the threshold from Los Angeles to Orange County.

– Laura Scheper
Community Relations Associate Specialist

Unveiling Sign of the Times: Wider Freeways

2009-07-19T00:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the music slideshow of the big reveal of Southern California's newest landmark. It's a monument sign at the O.C. - L.A. line, a sign of wider freeway lanes in Orange County.

A boy, his uncle and the path of progress

2009-07-09T22:39:00.000-07:00

"Basket boats" transport people onto bigger boats and ships off Vietnam's long coastline.

The Intersection of War, Family
Technology and Transportation

By Ted Nguyen
Manager of public communications & media relations

I was born at the height of the Vietnam War in a town of 100,000 people off the coast of the South China Sea.

I learned about the death of former Secretary of Defense and Vietnam War architect Robert McNamera July 6 via Twitter on my iPhone as I sat on a Metrolink train on my way to work. During that ride, I began to reflect upon how much as changed in the delivery of news and information – big and small, happy and sad.

Robert McNamera, left, with South Vietnam Pres. Nguyen Van Thieu in front during a briefing of the war effort. Nguyen Cao Ky, South Vietnam’s prime minister, is in the background talking to U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson.

Christmas smiles in Saigon: Ted Nguyen, third from left, shares a holiday memory next to former South Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky, a prominent figure during the war. To the right is Cau Tam or uncle No. 8.

First Grandson, Uncle No. 8

Back in 1969, my father was approximately 50 miles away as an officer in the South Vietnamese navy stationed in Cam Ranh Bay, a strategic base built by the U.S. during the war that the Vietnamese call the “American War.” My mother gave birth to me in the predawn hours when all was quiet in the war-torn seaside town of Nha Trang.

A farmer balances baskets of water spinach behind the Nguyen ancestral home.

Along the Path: Family of Strangers

Upon seeing me for the first time since my family escaped during the collapse of Saigon in 1975, his eyes welled up as he squeezed my chubby Vietnamese-American cheeks and told me how much he loved me. All the while, I was feeling increasingly uneasy watching a grown man whom I never really knew sob before my very eyes.

“You were the family’s first grandchild – a boy,” he muttered. “You don’t know how hard it was for me to walk the entire day to Cam Ranh so I could share the news with your father that he has a new baby son.”

I realized the difficulty of my uncle’s journey back in the late ‘60s on dirt pathways through dense jungles and mountain passes. Just a day before reuniting with my extended family, I became car sick after enduring side-to-side motions and experiencing head-bouncing in the back of a rented minivan on Vietnam’s “modern” roads en route to my family's ancestral home.

The Vietnam War is a distant memory, especially from the tranquil beaches of Nha Trang.

Longing to Share Memories

As I saw Cau Tam's tears trickle down his wrinkled face, my heart sank at the full realization of what this experience actually meant. Soon tears began to fill my own eyes because I longed to share this precious past with my own father who died far too soon when I was a teenager.

“Your father was beaming with pride knowing he had a son,” uncle No. 8 said as he continued to stroke my now wet cheeks. “I walked the entire day, but I never felt tired because I knew how happy the news would make your father feel.”

The Hope that is America

As a child refugee in America, I have come to understand the blessing and beauty that is America. I now know the power of information to shape our democracy. Our nation is strong because her people have access to news, information and differing opinions.

In my relatively short lifespan, I marvel at the pace of change. My cousins in Berlin no longer live in the shadows of a wall dividing East from West. My aunts and uncles in Sydney and Melbourne visit relatives in Vietnam, acclimating their ears and mouths to the Aussie English accent to only leave them head-scratching and tongue-tied later when the American branch of the Nguyen clan visited.

Accelerating Transportation Information

Metrolink trains are examples of the wonders of technology in transportation that have transformed our lives.

Back in the 1980s, it would take weeks if not months for hand-written letters to be read and hand-wrapped care packages to be treasured. Now we instant message and video conference via Skype. It only takes a few days to send packages. We're also communicating on Facebook and Twitter – though it’s difficult to explain to them why we need to perform so much outreach and communications with freeway and transit projects. In Vietnam, people simply sell their land for whatever set price and quickly vacate their homes so roads can be built. My Vietnamese family still doesn't understand what I do in America. My chosen career of public relations is a relatively new but growing profession mostly fueled by multinational corporations.

Embracing Technology to Involve the Public

Like so many businesses and public agencies across the nation, OCTA has embraced technology to deliver news and information quickly and cost effectively. We were among the first transportation organizations to use YouTube to demonstrate the ease and comfort of our buses. The OCTA public communications team pioneered an interactive Web site with social media tools to communicate the status of federal stimulus funds. The dynamic site details to taxpayers how public funds are being invested to improve transportation.

We established multiple project and program pages on Facebook to connect with a fast-growing online community. And now we've found ourselves the first among public agencies using Twitter to share transportation news and engage in “tweeting” conversations.

A recruitment "e-poster" encourages people to work for a more informed community and for public agencies to engage the public to increase citizen participation.

Helping Public Agencies Get Social Media

And we’ve joined with the newly formed Social Media Club Orange County to share our social networking experiences with other people in public agencies, education and nonprofits with the goal of enhancing public transparency and creating online conversations with fast-growing numbers of new media users.

We’re proudly calling the free session “GOV 2.0” and it’s from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 21 at the headquarters of the Orange County Transportation Authority, 600 S. Main St., in the city of Orange. We invite people to come and "tweet up" with some quality community members who are passionate about sharing their new found treasures from the twitterverse.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., social media experts will share one-on-one tips and provide personal assistance for people in public agencies and nonprofit organizations to get started in utilizing these no-cost social media tools that have exploded in popularity worldwide.

Beginners to social media are invited to participate in a step-by-step introduction. People are encouraged to bring their Wi-Fi enabled laptop computers or smart phones and will receive help in starting accounts with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

A panel will follow at 7 p.m. with a discussion on different strategies and techniques to help people in the public sector become familiar with how social media tools can help organizations become more transparent and responsive with the public. With overwhelming interest, the event has reached the limit of participants, and we are working to provide a video feed of the panel discussion to reach those who want to view the discussion from afar.

Sometimes doing the bright thing leads individuals to use the road less traveled.

Cultivating Community and Communications

Technology has brought sweeping changes across our social and political landscape. I can’t help but think about the possibilities if my father had lived ... of the wonder and look of surprise if only he could see how much our world has progressed. Or more importantly to me, I wonder how he would feel about seeing his baby boy all grown up and grasping all the best that America has to offer and all that makes her truly great – freedom with responsibilities.

It's because of access to information with increased knowledge and the connection with others that hopefully has led that baby boy to now making his little slice of the world a better place.

Special Commentary from our Business Partners in Orange County and Silicon Valley

2009-06-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

By Lucy Dunn
President and CEO of the Orange County Business Council

By Carl Guardino
President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Echo Your Support for Transit
Among the Halls of Sacramento

All of us have experienced the devastating impact of the economic recession on families and businesses across our nation and state. Transit is experiencing the most painful cuts in generations. As someone who may know firsthand the importance of transit, we wanted to share with you our effort to help protect this critical way of moving people.

Partnering for Transit Solutions

In April, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) made a difficult decision regarding the reduction of bus service in the county. Faced with a record shortfall of $272 million over the next five years, OCTA announced plans to reduce its bus service by 29 percent beginning in September, which could result in the elimination of 400 jobs. Although the outlook may be grim, OCTA is partnering with other organizations to address some of these funding issues. But we can’t do it alone. Your help is urgently needed.

The budget crisis jeopardizes bus systems statewide, leaving customers behind when the rest of America is going green.

OCTA is among many transportation agencies in the state facing difficult times by making dramatic service cuts to balance dwindling budgets. Caltrain, the train service that runs between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, will be forced to raise current rates and cut service.

Asking State Leaders to Restore Transit Funds

Transportation agencies across California are left with few options in response to drastic budget cuts made by the governor and the Legislature in February, which eliminated state funding for transit operations for the next five years in a budget agreement. We are asking state officials to explore ways to restore transit funding. With demand for public transit at the highest level in years, it is crucial that a solution be found to help fill gaping holes in the budgets of transportation agencies throughout the state.

We strongly urge our elected officials statewide to work together with us to find long-term funding solutions for transit. With the passage of Measure M in Orange County and Measure R in Los Angeles County, voters in California have proven that they are willing to pay for quality service in order to have safe and reliable transit solutions.

Google hired a private bus company to transport 1,200 employees to and from its offices in Mountain View, Calif.

Transit Helps Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Transit provides broad travel choices and delivers significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to meet state-mandated targets. Google ranks among large companies across the state that started using private bus services to transport its 1,200 workers on 32 buses. Reliable transit has proven to be an effective way to retain workers at Google while also reducing traffic congestion – a major aggravation for all commuters. Transit service also provides thousands of jobs at a time when the state can’t afford to lose any more.

Looking forward, traffic congestion and the need for public transportation will only grow – especially in car-loving California. Eliminating transit funding hurts Californians. People of all ages rely on public transportation. From students to senior citizens, transit is increasing in popularity because the alternative – sitting in traffic-choked congestion – is becoming less and less appealing.

Your Voice Helps Keep California Moving

We don’t expect the Legislature or other policymakers in Sacramento to magically reveal the golden key to funding transit operations. But what we do expect is a strong, assertive and collaborative effort to work together to address the problem, identify solutions and find ways to implement programs to keep our people and economy moving.

Now is the time for you to make your voices heard in an effort to restore public transit throughout California. We need to work together to find common-sense solutions.

Here are four things you can do:

1. Contact your local representatives and let them know the importance of public transportation

2. Write a letter to the editor to your newspaper

3. Share this information with a friend, family member or work associate

4. Share your personal story on the importance of transit on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter

Thank you for your support and your efforts to help find solutions during this difficult time to ensure that transit systems continue to provide the much-needed services for people and businesses.

______________________________________________

Lucy Dunn is president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council, www.ocbc.org, the leading voice of business on important issues locally, regionally and nationally. OCBC works to enhance Orange County’s economic development and prosperity to preserve a high quality of life.

Carl Guardino is president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, http://www.svlg.net/, which represents 300 employers in Silicon Valley on issues that affect the economic health of the Valley and the quality of life.

Milestone Moments as Fiscal Year Winds Down

2009-06-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

By Ted Nguyen
Manager of public communications & media relations

With the Board of Directors’ direction and support, OCTA’s most significant milestone was delivering a balanced budget of $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2009-2010, which ends June 30. And it's especially noteworthy because of these troubling economic times.

Moving Forward in Difficult Times

Most of us will agree this year has been difficult because of the far-reaching impacts of the state's budget crisis. OCTA board members made difficult decisions to ensure a balanced budget in response to declining sales tax revenues and significant losses of state transit dollars.

Next fiscal year’s budget includes a reduction of approximately 400,000 service hours for the bus system to address a five-year $272-million budget shortfall. With many negative impacts to our customers, we carefully and thoughtfully balanced the need to protect our core transit service with our mandated responsibilities as stewards of diminishing transit funds.

Freeway Improvements Continue and Transportation Hub Becoming Reality

The budget also includes the close out of Measure M funds for the completion of the construction of the I-5 Gateway project planned for completion in 2010 and the beginning of construction for the West County Connectors project also in 2010.

The budget also utilizes a short-term and tax-exempt financing option called "commercial paper" to accelerate numerous projects in the Renewed Measure M program – improvements to the Orange (SR-57), San Diego (I-405) and Riverside (SR-91) freeways. Progress of the CEO’s goals also includes the required work on capital investments for high-frequency Metrolink commuter-rail service and the award of the design contract for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), a planned transportation hub for high-speed rail, Metrolink, Amtrak and other transit services.

Fast Tracking Other Improvements

Other key accomplishments are implementing new state statues to help streamline important transportation projects in Orange County, including streamlining environmental processes, utilizing public-private partnerships and employing design-build authority. This means fast project delivery of much-needed transportation improvements for Orange County.

New CEO Begins Aug. 3

Interim CEO Jim Kenan will work closely with the newly appointed CEO to ensure a smooth transition. Caltrans chief Will Kempton, a 35-year veteran of transportation, hits the (Orange County) ground running Aug. 3.

Behind the Scenes: Irvine Resident’s Help Puts Spotlight On Transparency in Transportation

2009-06-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

By Ted Nguyen
Manager of public communications & media relations

It’s not every day an Orange County resident gets a chance to appear in an online video that will be seen approximately 100,000 times each month. But that’s exactly what happened to Virginia Adame, who lives in Irvine with her two teen-aged children.

Adame has never acted. But she knows firsthand the impact of the economic recession. With just a day’s notice, Adame agreed to be involved in the video that helps put the spotlight on public accountability and transparency.

The video introduces the public to a new Web site for OCTA – one of the first comprehensive online tools in the nation – that monitors federal stimulus dollars at work for transportation projects in Orange County.

Those record-high jobless numbers she read in the newspapers and the many TV news stories of companies laying off workers suddenly became personal. After working as a supervisor for parks, recreation and community services for the city of Santa Ana for 13 years, Adame found herself the victim of the economic recession when she was laid off.

Adame, a graduate of UC Irvine, thinks it’s important to show the public how their tax dollars are being spent, especially as our nation, state and county are in the midst of an economic crisis.

“I am glad to be part of an effort to help the community know what opportunities there are to improve transportation,” Adame said. “And to let them know how it will improve their lives on a daily basis.”

Adame enjoyed working with OCTA Chairman Peter Buffa in the video and was impressed with the former mayor of Costa Mesa, especially “his commitment in improving the community,” she said.

After the anxiety and worry of being unemployed, Adame landed a job with the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission and began her new duties on April 13. She’s hopeful that stimulus funds will help do exactly that – stimulate the economy and put back people to work.

Welcome Aboard

2009-06-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new Mile-by-Mile transportation blog.

We at the Orange County Transportation Authority are committed to delivering transportation solutions. Why? Because it impacts all of us. Improvements to transportation improves our daily lives Mile-by-Mile.

We look forward to sharing with you transportation updates. Just as importantly, we welcome your comments, suggestions and critiques. We cannot move ahead without you.

Best regards,

Ted Nguyen

OCTA public communications

714.560.5334

tednguyen@octa.net