Weekly Update 120312
Transcript of Weekly Update 120312
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Bomb-Detecting K-9 Teams Begin Patrolling Transit Systems
Orange County officials are relying on mans best friends to keep transit riders safe, especially during
the holiday season.
As part of a joint effort to ensure the safety of the coun tys transportation systems, OCTA and the
Orange County Sheriffs Department introduced two new K-9 teams Th ursday.
Jack, a 3-yea r-old Labrador Retriever mix, and Kori, a 3-year old Hungarian Vizsla, will aid the
Transit Police Services unit in protecting transit passengers. The teams will patrol throughout
Orange County, inspecting transit centers and Metrolink stations as well as responding to suspicious
packages and activity.
They join a Labrador Retriever named Foose that has been sniffing around Orange County's
transportation system for nearly four years.
Dec. 3, 2012
Four-Legged Friends Help Keep Transit Safe
'Breaking Down Barriers' Brings CEO Award
Helping with the Holidays at Santa Ana Zoo
At a Thursday news conference at the Orange train s tation , furr y friends and their human companions partner up
with OCTA to snuff out potential dangers. Participants include: Deputy Mike Wigginton with Jack, Transportation
Security Administration Field Canine Coordinator Chris Kloiber, OCTA Security and Emergency Preparedness
Manager Bruce Gadbois, OCTA Vice Chairman Greg Winterbottom, OCTA CEO Will Kempton and Deputy C orey
Mayer with Kori.
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Jack and Kori are being added to our team just in time for the holiday season, when the threat of
attacks are at an elevated level, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said in a news release. The
canines and their handlers will be highly visible and we encourage the public to aid law enforcement
by repo rting any suspicious beha vior . Remember , i f you see something , s ay something .
Jack and Kori were paired with Deputies Mike Wigginton and Corey Mayer and completed a 10-week
explosives-detection canine program through the Transportation Security Administration at
Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Through this program, the dogs were trained to sit and stay when
they catch the scent of gunpowder or explosives.
Both Wigginton and Mayer are federally certified
bomb te chnicians with more than eight years of
experience on the Orange County Sheriffs
Department bomb squad.
Ensuring the safety of our passengers is a top
priority for OCTA,Vice Chai rman Greg
Winterbotto m sa id. Our bus system is exceptionallysafe and we hope to never encounter an emergency
situation, but in the event we do, it s critical we are
able to respond in the most effective way possible.
The bo mb-detecting teams are funded with the help
of a $600,000 federal grant that covers the first five
years o f the K-9 program a nd will further the
Homeland Security mission in Orange County.
Through their highly visible presence and ability to
sniff out any potential dangers, the two new K-9s will
help head off any threats, said OCTA Transit Police
Chief Tim Finneran.
During the past five years, more than $23 million in
grant funding have gone toward implementing
Homeland Security measures, including:
l Addi ng a Coun ter Terrorism Team to the Transi t Police Se rvices unit
l Installing security cameras on buses and at rail stations
l Increasing patrols, personnel, exercises and training
l Enhancing communications
l Improving emergency plans and assessments
l Implementing physical security measures at transit bases and facilities
Orange County's transportation network got a security boost with two new four-legged members of the
OCTA Transit Police Services Jack and Kori who will help enhance safety with their human
companions.
Visit OCTA's YouTube page for more transportation videos.
Labrador Retriever Jack will lend a helping paw with
Deputy Mike Wigginton in keeping transit systems safe in
Orange County.
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Every Day Counts for Transportation Infrastructure
OCTA officials joined approximately 150 federal, state and local leaders at a Sacramento summit
Tuesday to make every day count in delivering transportation infrastructure for California.
Hosted by the Federal Highway Administration, the Every Day Counts summit brought together
transportation professionals from the public and private sector to share practices and seek new
solutions to streamline project delivery.
OCTA CEO Will Kempton and Capital Programs Executive Director Jim Beil participated in the
conference as part of the agencys commitment to the Every Day Counts initiative. The federal
program works to more quickly and efficiently deliver highway projects, enhance safety measures
and apply environmentally friendly practices in transportation.
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Beil believes that bringing together leaders of different agencies from California and across the
nation to facilitate a sharing of information is an important first step in making a tangible difference
in the project delivery process.
It creates an opportunity for the federal and state oversight agencies and the locals who implement
projects to have a dialogue and come to an understanding of ways to be more efficient and
accelerate projects, Beil said. The bottom line is the Every Day Counts initiative is going to help the
residents of Orange County realize projects faster, and in doing so, save time and money. Its faster,
better and cheap er, and what Califo rnia needs to sustain infrastructure in the lo ng-term .
However, as the economy
continues to face the challenges of
recovery, seeking cost-effective
ways o f mo ving people thr oughout
the county while providing quality
service continues to be a priority,
Kempton says.
Although OCTA and fello w
transportation agencies in
California still face funding
obstacles, we continue to explore
way s t o o vercom e barr iers a nd
bring tran spor tati on solutio ns to
Orange County, Kempton said. By
seeking alternative concepts and
applying new technology, we canmore effectively deliver on our
promise of providing
transportation infrastructure for
the community that will enhance
safety and reduce congestion.
Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez headlined the summit and spoke of the streamlining
successes of the Every Day Counts initiative, including alternative contracting methods such as
design-build and construction manager/general contractor methods, alternative technological
concepts such as 3D engineering models and accelerated bridge construction, and provisions of
MAP-21, a bill that creates a streamlined, performance-based, multimodal program to address the
many challenges facing the U.S. transportation system.
O.C. Business Council Honors OCTA
CEO ForBreaking Down Barriers Initiative
The Orange County Business Council
honored OCTAs efforts to turn
transportation red tape into work
opportunities at an awards ceremony
Thursday.
The business organization recognized
OCTA CEO Will Kempton at the Turning
Red Tape Into Red Carpet awards,
honoring him as a leader in local
government whose policies and
programs break down economic growth
barr iers and help stimulate pr ivat e-
sector jobs creation.
Presented with the award for Public
Sector Leadership, Kempton thanked
OCTA board and his staff along with the
local, state and national partners who
worked to create jobs and improve the
economy through transportation in the
Breaking Down Barriers initiative.
Through the initiative led by former
OCTA Directors Peter Buffa and Jerry Amante, OCTA partnered with more than 30 organizations to
brin g together local and nati onal leade rs i n the trans portation i ndus try to iden tify oppo rtun itie s
that created jobs in highway, street and transit construction projects.
Under Kemptons leadership, the Breaking Down Barriers initiative, combined with the O.C. Jobs
Now program, created or sustained more than 12,000 jobs in transportation as of June 30, 2012.
Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez at the groundbreaking of the West
County Connectors construction project in the summer of 2010 t alked about OCTA's
leadership in partnering with Caltrans and federal transportation agencies to
expedite projects to create much-needed jobs.
Dan Miller of the Irvine Company, Paul Kaufman of Chase and Orange
County Business Council Chair Julie Miller-Phipps of Kaiser Permanente
Orange County congratulates OCTA CEO Will Kempton for winning the
prestigious Public Sector Leadership honor for expediting transportation
projects to create thousands of jobs.
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The Breaking Down Barriers initiative became the national template to help expedite project
delivery by removing bureaucratic barriers to enhance transportation infrastructure and create
thousands of jobs in a time when it has been one of the most needed, Kempton said. Through our
partnership with Caltrans and other local agencies, we are continuing to forge ahead in our efforts to
accelerate project delivery and do our part to create jobs in Orange County.
OCTA Helps with the Holidays At Santa Ana Zoo Food and Toy Drive
In addition to lions and tigers and bears, the Santa Ana Zoo on Sunday hosted thousands of people as
OCTA joined State Senator Lou Correa in a canned food and toy drive for children and their families.
OCTAs team helped collect unwrapped toys for the 12th-annual drive that delivers gifts to needy
children through the Toys for Tots program sponsored by U.S. Marines, while volunteers from the
Orange County Employees Association organized the donations of food for the Orange County Food
Bank.
This event was a great opportunity for the community to come together and help families in need,
said Correa, who represents cities in the 34th district including Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton,
Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Stanton and Westminster.
More than 2,500 people participated in Sundays drive where they were able to give back and help
fellow neighbors while also finding health, safety and transit information to better take care of
themselves and their own families during the holiday season.
OCTAs team provided information about the agencys public transit services that may help ease the
stress of traveling costs during the holidays.
Through the efforts of several nonprofit organizations and public agencies including the California
Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriffs Office and the City of Santa Ana, the food and toy drive has
resulted in more than 1,400 pounds of food donated to families in need.
Nov. 21 The Orange County Register and OC Metro reported the election of 10 new members to the
OCTA Board of Directors.
Nov. 23 The Orange County Register published an article about the aesthetic design of soundwalls
along portions of the South County I-5 Improvement project.
Nov. 26 & Nov. 27 KTLA5, NBC 4, Orange County Register, San Clemente Patch and Los Angeles
Times were among the outlets that reported on the OCTA bus fare increases set to go into effect in
February. The fee increases are required to maintain operations funding from the state.
Nov. 26 & Nov. 28 The Orange County Register, OC Metro, San Juan Capistrano Patch, OC Breeze
and Progressive Railroading penned articles about the OCTA Board selecting Darrell Johnson to
serve as the agencys CEO starting in March.
Nov. 26 & Nov. 27 The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times and Daily Pilot announced the
OCTA boards decision to eliminate the 19th Street Bridge from the countys Master Plan of Arterial
Highways.
Nov. 26 The Los Alamitos Seal Beach Patch announced detour information for construction
closures on portions of the West County Connectors project.
Nov. 27 The Daily Titan wrote an article about temporary construction closures along portions of
the Orange Freeway (SR-57).
State Senator Lou Correa thanks the 2,500 of people who joined together at Sunday's food and toy drive that
donated more than 1,400 pounds of food to help children and their families during the holiday season.
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Nov. 27 Reuters and Boston.com wrote about
the 91 Express Lanes receiving an A rating from
Fitch.
Nov. 28 The Orange County Register published
an article about OCTAs plans to implement
quieter train horns along seven pedestrian rail
crossings in San Clemente.
Nov. 27 and 28 Capital Programs Executive Director Jim Beil and CEO Will Kempton, Every Day
Counts Summit, Sacramento
The Orange County Register writes about OCTA's plans to
implement quieter train horns along seven San Clemente
pedestrian rail crossings.
For the latest media news, followJoel Zlotnik, media relations manager, on Twitter.
For the latest in transportation issues and programs in Southern California,
followOCTA on Twitter.
Become a fan ofOCTA on Facebookto keep connected and learn more about how
OCTA is keeping Orange County moving.
Stay updated on transportation promotions, events and more on OCTA's YouTube
channel.
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