Number 5 Volume 20 May, 1992

In the RTD Tradition:An Incredible Response

rrABLEloFCONTENTS The Headway

is published by the Southern California Rapid TransitDistrict for the employees, retirees, and its friends everymonth. Headway is guided by a policy approved by theGeneral Manager and published in the Human ResourcesPolicy Manual. A copy is available on request.

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A Word from the General Manager 3RTD Responds 4RTD Toasted with Tributes 5How Wynn and Company Did the Job 7Mechanic Jamal Saleem 8Dispatcher Ron Novak 8Division 5 Maintenance Manager Rick Hittinger 9Operator Avalino Tiangco 9Transit Police Dispatcher Jimmy Adams 10Operator Francisco Gabaldon 10Director of Transportation Dan Ibarra 11Assistant Division Manager Diane Frazier 11Superintendent of Maintenance Ken Miller 12Operator Manuel Rangel 12Counseling Available to RTD Employees 13RTD Operates Special Shuttle in South Central 13Riot Reflections 14Division 1 Operators Transport President' s Men ..14Operator Reuben Baca 15Letter of Appreciation 15We're Number One (Again!) 16RTD Unveils "Translink" Service 21RTD Board Votes to Expand Police Force 21Police Blotter 22The Stats 22Marathon Men and Women 23RTD Blue Line Video Wins Awards 24RTD Spotlights Blue Line Safety 24Campaigning for Safety 25Schedule Changes 26Shifting Gears 27Public Commendations 28In Memoriam 28By George 30Letter to the Editor 30A Financial Flunky Talks Investments 31RTD Issues FY '91 Annual Report 31Commendations 35

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position

that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one

has overcome while trying to succeed."—Booker T. Washington

Neither the Headway nor the RTD endorses the prod-ucts or verifies the accuracy of the claims made in theadvertising, which has appeared, appears, and will appearon the pages of the Headway. The advertising is simply arevenue-generating measure. Further, we reserve the rightto reject any objectionable ad.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 2

Courageous Response to the Crisis

RTD General Manager Alan Pegg (right) and Governor Pete Wilson discussthe use of Division 5 as the Emergency Operations Center for approximately4,500 military and police personnel. Meantime, RTD personnel workedaround the clock to serve die emergency crews, repairing and fuelinghundreds of their vehicles.

A Word from the General Manager

have never been prouder of themen and women of the Southern Cali-fornia Rapid Transit District than Iwas during the civil disturbances thatwracked Los Angeles beginning theevening of April 29.

I toured the various divisions andterminals, observed operations fromthe Bus Control Center and saw ouroperators, road supervisors, TransitPolice and many other employees inaction. lt brought home to me in themost graphic manner possible the in-tense dedication of RTD profession-als who worked long hours under themost adverse conditions to providetransit service. We provided that ser-vice not only to patrons in as manyneighborhoods as we could reach, butalso transported hundreds of policeofficers, Sheriff s deputies, NationalGuardsmen, Marines, Red Crossevacuees and even prisoners.

There are many examples of ouremployees' courage and con-unitmentto public service, but one stands out inmy mind. On April 30, at the height of

the riots, the RTD was advised to shutdown service two hours short of the 6p.m. curfew. Despite warnings thatthey might be heading into danger, anumber of our operators continuedtheir routes until long after dark in aneffortto get stranded passengers safelyto their destinations.

When Foothill Transit

Authority abandoned its

passengers at the El

Monte Station, the RTD

was there to take (hem

downtown.

Those acts of individual determi-nation were characteristic ofthe RTD sefforts -- from the most senior officialdown to the newest employee --throughout the crisis. Board PresidentMarvin Holen worked closely with

Mayor Bradley and other city officialsto clear away bureaucratic roadblocksand allow the RTD to resume fullservice in all areas ofthe city as quicklyas possible.

The result of his efforts, and ofthose ofhundreds of employees, meantthat the RTD remained flexible andable to respond to many different typesof situations.

When a line could be reinstated, itwas up and running within hours. Whenbuses had to be rerouted to avoiddemonstrations or violence, the dis-patchers and road supervisors movedthem smoothly onto other streets. WhenFoothill Transit Authority abandonedits passengers at the El Monte Station,the RTD was there to take them down-town. When military units were re-lieved, RTD buses shuttled them torest areas and brought in new troops.

At a time when the county is plan-fing toto spend millions of dollars tobuild fixed rail transportation systems,this example of the importance ofmaintaining a flexible -- and respon-sive -- bus system could not be morestriking. Only buses could haveachieved what the RTD managed toaccomplish.

As we look back on the civil crisisof 1992, it is well to remember thefindings of the McCone Commissionfollowing the Watts riots in 1965. Thecommission reported that lack of pub-lic transportation before the distur-bances had trapped residents in aghetto, denying them access to publicservice, jobs and many other necessi-ties of life.

Now, the RTD is faced with asimilar situation. In January, we cutour bus service by 100,000 hours tostay within a barebones budget. Asecond 100,000-hour service cutbackis planned for June. In light of theemergency the city has just comethrough -- and will contend with forsome time to come continued shrink-ing of RTD bus service can only cre-ate additional hardships for our tran-sit-dependent patrons.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 3

National Guard troops board one of 106 RTD buses used during therioting to transport law enforcement authorities. R7D operators reportedthat the troops were pleasant , but exhausted, after a night on the streets.

At the height of the unrest , squad cars representing a host of lawenforcement agencies -- from Kern to San Diego counties packed theDivision 5 bus yard.

RTD Responds

Beginning the evening of April29, and for the next four days, RTDemployees responded to a major emer-gency the likes of which they had notwitnessed in a generation.

All of our contingency plans, emer-gency preparedness meetings and cri-sis management seminars suddenly be-came tragically relevant when riotingand looting broke out in the wake ofthe announced verdict in the RodneyKing case.

Most small businesses and resi-dents in South Central Los Angelesshut their doors and went home, fear-ing for their personal safety. But hun-dreds of RTD employees stayed on thejob.

In the 100 hours following theinitial incidents April 29, RTD em-ployees rose to this ominous occasionwith unparalleled dedication, grace,professionalism and courage.

Perhaps the example was set atthe beginning. Operators who wererunning bus lines in South Central LosAngeles saw what was happening. ltwould have been easy, and under-standable, for them to take their busesand go to the nearest division as soonas the rocks and eggs and bricks startedfiying.

to serve Foothill 's passengers whowould have been stranded.

And what of RTD's dispatchers?These men and women are accus-tomed to working all hours of thenight. But now they faced worriedoperators whose numerous requestsfor assistance had tobe handled swiftlyand sensitively.

If that wasn't enough, calls frompolice and military personnel startedpouring in. Send 10 buses here to take500 policeman there. Send 25 busesthere to bring 700 National Guards-men here.

At the height of the disturbance,140 RTD buses were helping to trans-port the men and women who finallywere able to enforce curfews and re-gain control.

Division 5 in South Central wasturned into a command post for up to4,500 military personnel, police offic-ers and firefighters. The yard servedas a safe haven for law enforcementpersonnel who patrolled the tensestreets. Maintenance workers repeat-edly fueled 170 fire engines stationedat Division 5, scores ofpolice cars andmotorcycles, dozens ofNational Guard

continued on page 18. . .

But our operators kept the busesrunning. They kept on serving passen-gers. Only when they received instruc-tions from central dispatch a few hourslater did they pull their buses off thestreets.

RTD picked up where other buscompanies left off. Foothill Transitelected not to send its buses from theEl Monte Terminal to downtown LosAngeles, so RTD rolled out extra buses

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 4

RTD Toasted with TributesNumerous Agencies Honor District and Employees for a Stunning Performance

Supervisor Ed Edelman, on behalf of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, presents a proclamation of commendatiotzto the RTD for providing a vital transportation infrastructure during the rioting. "Whereas," the proclamation reads, "theSCRID, working shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement and fire department personnel, was the largest non-sworn bodyof public servants who continuously pro vided service to the public during the period of civil utzrest." Accepting the awardfrom&lehnan are Krom left to right) Alan Pegg, R7D general manager and Marvin Holen, RTD Board president.

Scores of' govemment, publicand police agencies -- from the Na-tional Guard to the Los Angeles CountyBoard of Supervisors to the Los Ange-les Police Department (LAPD) --heaped praise on the RTD and itsemployees for their extraordinary per-formance during last month's civilunrest.

At a special meeting of the RTDBoard of Directors May 7, seven RTDemployees, representing hundreds oftheir colleagues who responded withgrace and courage, told stories of mov-ing exhausted troops in the dead ofnight, doing field surveys of streets atthree in the moming, and refusing,despite sniper fire, to abandon theirroutes so that passengers could get totheir destinations safely.

Among those offering congratu-lations was Matthew Hunt, deputy

chiefofthe LAPD, who told the Board,"If we could only bottle up what youremployees gave to us, and use it acrossthe city, then this would truly be a Cityof angels."

Supervisor Ed Edelman, who pre-sented a proclamation to the RTDBoard on behalf of the board of super-visors, said that the decisions made byRTD management and ernployees werecritical to helping cope with the vio-lence. "They were the backbone ofthis very important operation," he said.Edelman had introduced the motioncorrunending the District to bis fellowsupervisors the day before; secondedby Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, it wasapproved unanimously.

In a letter to the RTD Board, EarlClark, general chairman of the UnitedTransportation Union, criticized Foot-hill Transit, writing, "They didn't give

a dann about people who needed trans-portation to get to work; they appar-ently were more concemed that theirshiny new buses might be the targetsof violence. They were very willing toallow the RTD buses and drivers tobethe targets of that potential violence."

Among the employees who spoketo the throngs of reporters packing theboard room was Operator EugenePobol of West Hollywood, an RTDpart-timer. "Never," he said, "have Iworked for a company that has suchdedication to get the job done."

"We slid into this supermarketparking lot," he told the Board, "andas each soldier stepped off the bus, Icould hear the dick of their rifles asthey locked and loaded. lt sent chills

continued on page 6

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 5

Toasted with Tributes. continued from page 5

TOS John Escher: Back on the job theday afier being assaulted and robbed.

up my spine."Noted Art Leahy, assistant gen-

eral manager of operations, "In manycases, the operator was the only one onthe bus who wasn't wearing a flakjacket."

Road Supervisor John Escher wasone of six RTD employees who suf-fered injuries during the riots. He wasdirecting bus operations near the sceneof the first violence, at Florence andNormandie. As Escher was returningto his car, he was chased four blocksup Normandie and then assaulted androbbed by a crowd of youths. Despitecuts and bruises, he stayed on duty therest of the night and worked his shiftsthroughout the remainder of the emer-gency.

Bus Operator Hilton Hackley, aformer Operator of the Month, wasmaking his last run for the daysouthbound on Vennont when the ri-ots began. "I wanted to take my pas-sengers home," he told the Board. "Ifelt good about it (transporting troops)knowing that I was doing something tohelp in an emergency situation. A 10-year RTD veteran, Hackley stayed onthe job and made other runs that

evening and throughout the long daysof turmoil. Added Leahy, "He spentthe first night of the riots at an outlyingdivision ten miles from his car."

Natividad Castillo, a 25-year RTDveteran, was the Blue Line supervisoron duty for the northem portion of thecoinmuter rau l line at the outbreak ofviolence. Castillo escorted the firstsouthbound train and made sure thetracks were clear for operation. "Wehad debris on the track, and evenmissiles thrown at the trains," he said.

Sergeant Nick Aldana, a TransitPolice officer since 1981 was in chargeof a detail that provided security forRTD buses transporting police, fireand military units. Almost 200 Tran-sit Police officers were deployed on12-hour shifts to provide backup tolaw enforcement agencies.

Operator Hilton Hackley: "lt feil goodknowing I was doing something to help. "

Diane Frazier, acting Division 5manager and Rick Hittinger, Division5 maintenance manager also sharedtheir stories with the Board. Inter-views with them are on pages 9 and11.

Beside Escher, the other RTD op-erators who were injured in the frayinclude Operators Bunni Barr, MichaelBullock, Pamela Harris, AntonioRenden and Bryant Robinson.

Operator Eugene Pobol: "I feit as if thewhole company was behind me. "

Thank You, RTDLetters from Public

are Beginning to Pour In

Dear RTD:Thank you all so much for the

outstanding job you all did during therecent violence in L.A. I was one ofthose people trying to get home by buson April 30. The professionalism, calmattitude, and helpfulness ofmy driversmade a scary situation bearable.

I know that those of us who ridethe buses don't let you know howmuch we appreciate the job you do. Sothank you. I know that you aren'trewarded with big salaries, but I hopeknowing how much you're needed andappreciated will be some compensa-tion.

Sincerely,Susan ChamberlinVenice

•Dear RTD:The public has heard of all the

agencies that were involved in helpingthe LAPD, but we have not heardanything about the personnel at RTD;

cominued on page 14. . .

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 6

How Wynn and Company Did the Jobby Anthony Grell°News Bureau Representative

Even after Mayor Bradley I iftedthe curfew on Los Angeles, the RTDBus Operations Control Center wasabuzz with calls for buses to handlepolice and troop movements.

At the peak of not control activityover the weekend, as many as 600RTD buses were pressed into serviceover several days on special assign-ment to help deploy LAPD officers,sheriff s deputies, National Guards-men, U.S. Marines, FBI agents andfederal marshals.

With Division 5 at 54th Street andVan Ness Avenue converted into thecommand post of the LAPD and FireDepartment for not control andfirefighting operations, RTD buseshad to be moved elsewhere.

"The only buses left at Division 5were those requested by the LAPDand the Fire Department," said MarkSolomon, transit operations supervi-sor in communications. "When Divi-sion 5 became the command center,buses were sent to divisions 18[Carson], 2 [15th and San Pedrostreets], and 7 [West Hollywood],"Solomon said. "Basically after thatwhen bus service was restored, weconducted Division 5 operations outof Division 18 over that weekend."

RTD personnel--particularly op-erators--ended up in small predica-ments as buses were cleared out ofDivision 5, said Joe Uresti, TOS/com-munications/special events. "Somehad to dodge numerous hazards to getto Carson as rioting and buming brokeout, and others ended up sleeping over-night at Division 2, because there wasno way they could get out of down-town."

By Monday, calls were still com-ing in for more buses to different partsof the city. At noon, the FBI called fortwo more buses in Westwood at 4 p.m.to take agents to Norton Air ForceBase in San Bemardino. Earlier that

moming, the FBI had already askedfor one bus for the same purpose,which was dispatched.

Another call early Monday was topick up U.SS. marshals at an armory onSan Gabriel River Parkway in PicoRivera. Passersby saw special signs inthe windshields of the buses announc-ing "U.S. Marshals."

Glenn Wynn, acting radio dis-patch manager, noted that LAPD inthe initial deployment of RTD busesrequested one bus at each police sta-tion or division for a total of 18 loca-tions, plus three buses at the PoliceAcademy in Elysian Park, and three tofive buses at all times a t Parker Cen-ter on Los Angeles Street.

Operator's SonKilled in Riot

Headway wishes to extend itscondolences to Division 18 OperatorSherry Fleming, who lost her 18-year old son, Louis Watson, duringthe not. Watson, listed as the first todie in the violence, was shot to deathat the comer of Vermont and VernonAvenues April 29.

As Division 5 was converted tothe police and fire command center,buses were brought back as needed,Wynn said. "From there out, buseswere sent from one point to another bythe police and fire departments and weare still tracking them. In all, we had atotal of600 buses over several days onspecial assignment for police and fireuse."

Reporters from virtually everytelevision channel in the Los Angelesmarket did "stand-up" reports fromoutside Division 5 with "54th Streetand Van Ness" appearing in lettersacross the television screen. The tallpalms, common as street trees in thatpart of Los Angeles, provided a back-

drop to the comings and goings ofRTD buses, fire trucks and policepatrol cars.

Farther west, on Crenshaw Bou-levard, the National Guard arrived onFriday to set up an initial base at theLAPD Southwest Homicide Divisionin the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plazashopping center. When the first busload of National Guard troops ar-rived, televisionnews helicopters hov-ered overhead, broadcasting live asthe bus stopped at a check point in thedriveway and proceeded into the roof-top parking lot.

On the Next PagesOn the next several pages,

Headway includes the reactions ofsome RTD employees, from operatorsto managers to mechanics to transitpolice officers, who were instrumen-tal in maintaining the basic transpor-tation infrastructure at a time of criti-cal need. The people whose remarksyou will read are among the hundredsof RTD employees who kept faithwith the comrnunity, delivered ser-vice, and provided an excellent ex-ample for the rest of the industry tofollow.

Smoke billows from the neighborhoodaround Division 5. Due to the loss ofthe facility , 190 buses and employeeswere immediately re-assigned to threeother locations.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 7

Mechanic Jamal Saleem . . .Jamal Saleem is a mechanic A

assigned to the third shift at Division5. He lives in Moreno Valley with hiswife and four foster children. He regu-larly rides the bus to and from work.He drives from his home to the Grey-hound Terminal in Riverside. He thenrides an RTD bus to work.

The evening of April 29, was nodifferent. He got up at six p.m., gotready for work, and left from his house45 minutes later. Unaware ofthe eventstaking place in Los Angeles, he droveto the Greyhound Terminal andboarded the RTD to L.A. The busdropped him off, as usual,at 9th andBroadway. He then walked a fewblocks to catch a Line 45 bus.

But on this night, he couldn't un-derstand why there were hardly anybuses an the streets. He and a few

other people got on the last bus goingsouth an Broadway. He saw the com-motion an the street and listened to theother passengers talking about all ofthe looting and fires in South Central.So he got offthe bus at Broadway andVernon. But not because he wanted toturn around and head back to down-town.

He knew he had to get to work. Heavoided the main streets where bulletsfiew and fires roared. He walked anthe residential side streets of SouthCentral, often zig-zagging to avoid thecrowds. Finally, after walking fourmiles, he arrived at Division 5, only tofind it dark.

He showed his badge to the Tran-sit Police oftleer at the entrance to theparking structure and was allowed toenter.

Mechanic Jamal Saleemwalkedfromdowntown Los Angeles through ahail of gunfire to get to his Job atDivision 5.

Dispatcher Ron Nova

Dispatcher Ron Novak, who workedthe Watts Riots as a police officer,says that on the night the 1992 Riotsbroke out, his bus operators werevery persistent about delivering theirpassen gers home despite the manystreet closures.

k • • •

Dispatcher Ron Novak knowshow tough it can get an the streets.Twenty-seven years ago, Novak wasamong the first law enforcement offic-ers to be injured in the Watts Riots.

Then a Transit Police Officer --formerly called Special Agents,--Novak suffered injuries as he steppedoff a curb at Imperial and Avalon. Hisname appears in an article listing in-jured officers in a 1965 edition of theHeraldExaminer. He was one ofeightTransit Police officers back then, andhe remembers one of his details --escorting the night watchman for theShops Building to and from his homeamidst the violence.

On the night the '92 riots flared,Novak was an duty, but this time as adispatcher in the Radio Control Cen-ter.

He says he had two problems,both an the 55 line, which routesthrough Compton. "I had one bus at83rd and Compton. He got all kinds ofrocks. One of the windows shattered

and the broken glass hit a passenger.He called in and I called the FireDepartment. They refused to roll."

Novak says the brave operatordrove the passenger to Martin LutherKing/Drew Medical Center.

His second problem ofthe eveningwas an the same line. "I got reports ofmore activity at 42nd and Compton.The bus operator called in and wasquite upset, because he was carryingnearly a full load and he wanted to gethis passengers home safely. I said tohim, 'Operator, you can't get downthe street it's closed."

He radioed me that his passengerswere most upset and that he had awheelchair passenger an board. Hewas very persistent about deliveringthem safely."

Novak says there was na sense inarguing with him, that he was deter-mined to drive through."I don't knowhow far he took them, but I do knowthat he and his bus got back to the bamin one piece."

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 8

Division 5 Maintenance Manager Rick Hittinger. . . .

Rck Hittinger didn't hear themessage that Superintendent of Main-tenance Ken Miller had left for him onhis home phone, telling him to stayput. Hittinger had already chargedback to \vork some 20 minutes afterhearing the news on KFI radio. Fear-ing the worst, the Division 5 mainte-nance manager navigated bis RTDunit through blinding smoke - "lt waslike a scene from Hades, he recalls" -before pulling up to Division 5 at thecorner of 54th and Arlington.

"We had it all," he says, mention-ing that the coroner's office had evenset up a temporary morgue on-site."We held the second shift throughuntil seven in the morning. My crewfueled the fire trucks and police cars,changed the oil and repaired tires."

That was no small feat. Over thenext five days, Hittinger and crewinsured that 96 fire trucks, 325 LAPD,CHP, and Transit Police squad cars,and 48 National Guard vehicles werein top mechanical form.

Ironically, the Division's fish fryhad been scheduled for the 30th. Therewas 375 pounds of fresh fish onWednesday at Division 5. The menand women in uniform -- severalhundred of them ate well.

On Friday, May 1, Hittingerheaded to Division 18 to pick up thechecks. He followed a strike unit out

and as he approached the on- ramp tothe Harbor Freeway, shots rang out.His windshield and right rear windowwere gone. "I sped away as fast as Icould," he says. But when he came toImperial Highway, he couldn't helpbut notice a woman and her threechildren in their stalled car on the sideof the freeway. At 11:30 at night, in

Operator Avalino Tiangco was robbedof his wallet, necklace and two rings.

Avalino Tiangco was drivingthe 117 line when he saw the commo-tion up ahead. There were six passen-gers in the bus, he remembers, amongthem, a couple who didn't speak En-glish, and a woman who was on herway to deliver money to her sick daugh-ter. He had just passed the projectsnear Jordan High School when theRTD Radio Control Center told himto pull into the nearest division. Therewas trouble, they told him.

What, he wondered, was he sup-posed to do about bis passengers whodepended on the bus to get to theirdestination? Something insidetold himto continue, not to detour. `If I die, he

his broken unk, he stopped. ("It's justsomething you do," he said later.) Shewas out of gas. He radioed the Dis-patch Center, and they, in turn, calledfor help.

"Thank you," he recalls thewoman saying, as he drove away un-der anight sky lit up with fire. "Thankyou for stopping."

told himself, "then I want to die insidemy bus.'

Then he saw the big crowds aheadon 103rd. His bus slowed at Gonnan.

"They swarrned the bus, brokemy he says, nervously."One pulled a gun at me and thensomeone pulled me down and grabbedmy wallet, my necklace and two rings.

"But I'm like an airplane

pilot....1 will always stay

with my bus. "

"I was begging them to stop. ButI also thought, `Ifthis is my day, so beit.'

He remembered the lady 3,vhohad saved $300 for her daughter. Shewas crying. He recalls that a mancame aboard the bus and molested asecond woman passenger.

All of a sudden, he remembers apolice car came by. The crowd, con-tent with the bot dispersed. He calledthe Dispatch Center.

Sometime later that night, he re-turned home. His wife, who was wor-ried sick about him, saw the scratcheson his neck. She didn't want him toreturn to work. "But I'm like a pilot,"he says, with a thick accent. "I willalways stay with my bus."

Operator Avalino Tiangco . . .

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 9

Operator Francisco Gabaldon onmoving the troops: "For once, wefelt likewe were big wheels. "

Transit Police Dispatcher Jimmy Adams . . .

If there was one guy whose jobput him smack in the middle of theoperation, it was Transit Police Dis-patcher Jimmy Adams.Transportation's man behind the pan-eled glass for ten years, he had barelystarted his shift on April 29, when anoperator cal led in, saying he was tak-ing on rocks at Florence andNormandie. "He said that his win-

dows were broken; I told him to get hisbus safely out of the area," recallsAdams. "After that call, my screen litup."

Adams says that between 4:30and 6:00 p.m. on the first night law-lessness reigned, there was one prob-lem after another on the 206 line(Normandie and Florence), the 210line (Crenshaw and King), and the 212line (La Brea and Rodeo).

"All of the operators were takingbricks," he says. He says that in theSan Femando Valley, a female Opera-tor called in, screaming that she wasbeing shot at. I told her to move herbus, which she did, and we rolledTransit Police to the scene. Adamssays that police later confirmed that abullet had, indeed, smashed throughthe bus, narrowly missing theoperator's window.

Meantime, Adams had his hands

full with the beating of TOS JonEscher. By then, he says, "We lcnewthat we couldn't get help from thepolice. We knew we were on our own."

Adams alerted Transit Police of-ficers, who transported a bruisedEscher to Division 5.

Adams says that although it was apanic situation for everyone, he wasable to calm operators down by speak-ing in a low tone. Doing so immedi-ately brought down the level of theiranxious voices.

Says the unfazed Adams, "I knewthis was going to happen that night.There were a lot of incidences comingat you at one time. But we dealt withthem.

"I like going home knowing thatthe patrons got home safely. As longas I know that we responded quickly,I can go home and be at peace."

Operator Francisco "Poncho" Gabaldon .Operator Francisco Gabaldon

put in 21 hours straight at the peak ofthe rioting. "Oh no," he gasped whenhe heard the verdict. Politics aside, theoperator his buddies affectionately re-fer to as 'Poncho,' knew his Line 207could be in for some trouble. "Butnever did I think it would escalate intosomething that big," he says, shakinghis head.

lt was just after seven p.m. whenhe passed 83rd and Western, and sawcrowds of people in the street. Hispasengers were scared, he said. "I toldthem to be calm and if anything hap-pened, we would pull off the line andfind cover." He says that his passen-gers got off at Manchester.

Friday morning, Gabaldon wastold to take his bus to the 77th StreetPolice Station. "The officers treatedus really well," he says. "I took 45officers to Division 5 where I droppedthem off and then I took others fromDivision 5 to the Van Nuys Station.

On the way I could see fires and loot-ing. The police would block the inter-section and provide my bus with anescort."

He says that the officers on thebus were quiet, listening to instruc-tions from the sergeant.

The whole operation, he says, wasvery well organized.

Was he bothered doing it?"Heavens no," he says. "That's

what we're here for. And for once, wefelt like we were big wheels."

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 10

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Director of Transportation Dan Ibarra . . .Dan Ibarra had just finished

making repairs on his daughter's carwhen the Radio Control Center called.He was told that a couple of buses hadbeen bit by rocks and bottles and thatTOS Jon Escher had been draggedfrom his unit and beaten. Ibarra imme-diately went to the television, where hewatched the events unfold.

Assistant Director of Transporta-tion Leo Bevon headed for the controlcenter; Ibarra, along with Bevon andRalph Wilson, held down the fort from2 am. Thursday until 6 p.m. the fol-lowing day.

"Our main concern was for thesafety ofthe operators," he says. "Be-cause of the mobs and shooting in thestreet, we wanted to pull the lines offthe street, but the operators kept ask-ing us, 'What about my people? I

won't leave them.'"Many operators volunteered to

accommodate their passengers."Ibarra says that at the peak of the

deployment, there were 115 buses onthe street moving men and womenfrom the National Guard, U.S. Ma-rines, LAPD, CHP, Sheriff s Depart-ment and Red Cross. He says hisoperators also provided transporta-tion to jail for the arrestees. "We wereproviding another level of service outthere," a proud Ibarra said. "Onehundred fifteen buses moving troopsat one time is more than many transitproperties have out there movingpeople."

"We didn't iwussi out the wayFoothill Transit did," adds Ibarra."They stranded passengers at El Montestation. lt was RTD that accommo-

dated them much to the joy, glee, andhappiness of those patrons. We keptwatch on the San Gabriel Valley so thepassengers there weren't I eft out in thecold.

"RTA in Riverside, Montebello,Gardena and Torrance Transit werecalling our Control Center every dayto gage how bad it was out on thestreets."

Assistant Division 5 Manager Diane Frazier . . .Diane Frazier, acting Division

5 manager, didn't recognize the voiceof the TOS who answered the phonethat night at Division 5. "He was sopolite," she recalled. Learning that itwas an operator, and not a TOS,warmed her heart. "lt was the mostbeautiful thing," she said. "Everyoperator started acting like a supervi-sor. They were excellent. The phonekept ringing with husbands and wivesasking the whereabouts of their lovedones. My operators kept answeringthe phone, calming them down andreassuring them."

Frazier herself was braced fortrouble late that aftemoon. She hadgone to church after work, and thenretumed to her home on Adams. Soonafter, she got a call summoning herback to the division. "There's chaoshere," the operator on the phone toldher. "Just come in.

She was there until eight o'clockthe next moming.

"There were police everywhere.

They moved everything tables andchairs and desks -- out of the way.They let nobody in. Division 5 waslike a fortress."

Diane Frazier

"This whole thing was dropped inmy lap," she says, explaining thatDivision 5 Manager, Maceo Bethel,had been out sick. "I'm not complain-ing," she continues. "I have alwayskind of been at the right place at theright time. This was an opportunity tosee how the operators and I performed

under pressure."And more than anything else, I

just want them to know that I lovethem all."

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 11

Operator Manuel Rangel. . .

Superintendent of Maintenance Ken Maler • •As soon as Ken Miller heard

the news, he notified each of the oper-ating divisions. As superintendent ofmaintenance, he knew it was up to himto determine what the RTD's supportcapability was. He ordered each of hismaintenance managers to figure outthe total number of vehicles they hadavailable.

Early the next morning, with aplan already fornmlated, Miller estab-lished a mini-command center at theCentral Maintenance Facility (CMF).

"The maintenance organizationperformed in superb fashion," he says,with gratitude. "I want to commend,

On Friday night, May I, ManuelRangel plopped himself in front of theentrance at Division 5. He had spentthe previous night transporting ex-hausted firefighters to and fromNorthridge in the San Fernand° Val-ley.

Intent on taking a breather, he andhis buddies were trading stories of theday's adventures when, suddenly, theyheard gunshots that sounded close tothe division. Four shots rang out, andRangels and his friends ran to the wall,taking cover.

"I got to admit," he says now, "Iwas pretty scared."

in particular, the mechanics at Divi-sion 5 who performed above and be-

yond the call of duty. There are a lot offolks who voluntarily worked doubleshifts without asking to be compen-

His anxiety increased, when onSunday afternoon, he was driving abus loaded with LAPD officers. Hisbus was one of 11 filled with troopsmoving out. Driving on the underpassof the Harbor Freeway at Florence,the convoy came to a halt. There wasa sniper with agun. "He had killed oneperson. Here we were part of a line ofbuses and we couldn't move. Therewas nothing to hide under --just grassand weeds. The whole thing lasted 20to 25 minutes."

"You could just feel the tension,"he says.

sated."Miller says the Stores Depart-

ment kept his crews supplied withparts when they needed them most."The whole Operation wentlike clock-work."

Ironically, says Miller, Districtbuses weren't hit with graffiti duringthe rioting. "It's amazing how thevandalism subsided.

"This morning," he said, shakinghis head, "we began receiving graffitiagain."

Operator RickWeinbe rg • • •

As told to Headway: "At aquarter to 12 on the night of April 30,I took a bus of 50 police officers fromDivision 5 to make relief. On this date,Division 5 was known as Central Po-lice Headquarters. We turned downWestern, toward Central. We came toCentral and there was a sniper attack.We got caught right in the middle ofthe sniper attack. There was a policecar with two officers beside it, onewith a shotgun, the other with a .45.The bus automatically turned into amilitary coach. All of the °Meers,who knew the sniper was popping atthe bus, hit the floor. Half of them hadshotguns on one side of the bus; half ofthem on the other. Prior to this wewere all on the floor. I got behind theoperator's seat, popped it into reverse,with the brake off and pulled our lacts'out of this situation, with the busblacked out totally."

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 12

Altnost immediately after the rioting stopped, the District began offering aspecial .shuttle service through the heart of South Central Los Angeles whichcatered to patrons who had lost their neighborhood grocety stores.

Crisis Counseling Available to RTD Employees andTheir FamiliesAs it So Often Does, RTD's EAP Program Steps in to Offer Help

RTD's Employee AssistanceProgram (EAP) responded to the riot-ing by providing crisis debriefing toemplovees at Divisions 10 and 18.Although the company' s telephonelines were down for two days becauseof the rioting, calls to them were re-routed through their Northern Cali-fornia office. According to LuannaUrie, human resources analyst, coun-selors remained on call to any opera-tor Nvho suffered traumatic injuries.

The Dispatch Center sent thenames of those injured to RiskManagement's Linda Matassa andBarbara Lorenzo, who made certainthat each was contacted and offeredprofessional counseling.

Human Resources' MaryConforti, who administers theDistrict's drug-testing program, saysthat drug and alcohol screens takenthe Nveek following the rioting yieldedno positives. ''Good news," says

Conforti. "Despite all the anxiety as-sociated with the unrest, employeeswere not abusing drugs or alcohol."

Both Conforti and Urie urge anyemployee and members of his or herfamily who would like help dealingwith feelings from the rioting to callthe Employee Assistance Program atthis toll free line: 1-800-221-0945.You can also contact Luanna Urie atextension 7164.

RTD Operates Special Shuttle Service in South CentralRTD quickly responded to a

community in need by operating aspecial South Central Los Angelesshuttle bus service. For 10 clays, theDistrict provided the 25 cent servicealong a special route designed to servefive food distribution points in thecommunity .

Said Alan Pegg, RTD generalmanager, "We determined that a spe-cial one-way, frequent shuttlebus ser-vice would be the best way to helpresidents who need to get emergencyfood supplies."

RTD monthly passes were hon-ored oll the route. The District, inorder to allow residents extra time topurchase their monthly passes, hon-ored April's monthly passes throughMay 10.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 13

Riot Reflectionsby Mary Reyna,Legal Department

Wecinesday afternoon, April 29,1992, I was sitting in the RTD lawlibrary compiling exhibits for an up-coming trial, more or less left in myown world. One of the attorneys camein and told me that the verdict was inand all 4 policemen were acquitted. Iwas incredulous. By now I'm sure myfeelings were typical of most peoplehearing the news for the first time:shock, disappointment, cynicism, andfinally, fear of the inevitable reaction.

When I returned home I tuned intothe television to see what was happen-ing. lt was repulsive viewing but Icould not stop. The more television Iwatched, the worse I felt but I did notstop watching. When the grand scalelooting started on Thursday, I thinkI'd become dazed by the viewing. Ishut down emotionally and felt little.When I watched the people looting , itwas as if my mind could not compre-hend that these were Angelenos doingit. lt seemed like a newsreel about thelatest revolution in the third world.

Thank you, RTD. continued from page 6

bus drivers and Transit Police, whoput their lives on the line helping ourcity in a time of crisis. In the media, wesaw RTD buses transporting person-nel and prisoners, but were never toldthe RTD had any other function. RTDbus drivers drove those buses and theTransit Police were involved in thecomrnand center and also ran mis-sions, escorting various agencies totheir destinations. I believe it is impor-tant for the people of Los Angeles,those who do and do not ride the bus toknow that their public transportationdepartment is involved in such activi-ties.

lt is important to inform the pub-

The channel I watched seemed to re-play the same scenes over and over. Ijust can't seem to shake some of theabsurd, surreal scenes like the LAPDchasing a looter out of a store who waswearing a DARE (to stay off drugs) t-shirt or a woman dragging a table outof a furniture store scratching its sur-face all the while, or a man putting alooted sofa in the hatchback of hisPinto and driving off, or whole fami-lies on a mad holiday. lt was a mad-ness that possessed these people; theylost it for that moment. lt is scary tonow know that it only takes a moment

President's MenDivision One Operators Sam Mo-

rales (last year's winner in the District'sBus Roadeo contest) and Anna Ortegagot the plum assignment of the week

transporting President Bush's ad-vance security men from the BiltmoreHotel to the Mt. Zion Baptist Churchin South Central Los Angeles on May7.

The following day, the two opera-

lic that Transit Police have the sametraining as the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment and can perform the sameduties, if allowed to do so. If thepeople of Los Angeles were informedof the Transit Police they might con-sider public transportation rather thandrive themselves. For safe transporta-tion, RTD is not considered an alter-native at this point, but if you educatethe public and the press on a continualbasis, this perception would decrease.lt is unfortunate that such a depart-ment as RTD can not find the funds ordesire to publicize its bus drivers orpolice department and the good theyhave done in making riding the bussafe for everyone. lt seems to be athankless job . . .

Sincerely,Carolyn Pollard,Burbank

to lose all those years of socializationinvested in each person. The fabric ofsociety tears much too easily.

I was numb with confusion watch-ing the looters. So many Latinas, withtheir children even! Angry, I thoughtnow when I go into a store, clerks willfollow me to sec if I steal anything.Angry because I saw no Latino lead-ers asking people to stay inside andstop participating in the madness. Theonly person who seemed to really givevoice to my thoughts was the actor

continued on page 34. . .

As they transportedMr. Bush's securityteam to various points around LosAngeles, Division One operators gotaase enough to snap this picture of thePresident as he prepared to speak.

tors were on the move with thePres ident's security people again, thistime taking them from the Biltmore tothe Challenger's Boys Club. Parked inthe back of the club, both operatorsspotted the President (he was five feetaway, they say) as he got out of hislimousine and made his way into theclub to give a speech. They called tohim, both reported, and he acicnowl-edged them.

Mr. Bush was in town to tour thecity's destruction.

Division 1 Operators Transport

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 14

R1D put buses into service where other bus companies shut theirs down.These San Gabriel Valley residents who needed to get to downtown LosAngeles could do so on extra R7D buses like this one that were rolled outquickly to the El Monte Bus Terminal.

Operator ReubenBaca . . .

Reuben Baca was used to oper-ating a bus, not capturing suspectedcriminals. But that's exactly what theDivision 18 operator did during theweek Los Angeles went crazy.

Baca was one of the operatorsassigned to transport arrestees. "Wepicked these guys (most of whom werebooked an arson and looting charges)up at 9th and Alvarado and then tookthem to the 108th precinct. But it wastoo full, so the officers had me takethem back to the 77th."

Once there, one of the arrestees,according to Baca, climbed out of theemergency exit on the bus.

"I grabbed the guy," said Baca,and I told him in Spanish, "to sitdown."

Were the suspects quiet an thebus? No, says Baca. "They were allsaying they didn't do it."

Letter of Appreciation

A month has gone by since thecivil disturbance in Los Angeles. Muchhas been said in the news media aboutthe performance of many RTD em-ployees, but those employees fromDivision 18 who pulled together tosupport the mission of the District toprovide continuing service an many ofour lines, plus supported LAPD,LAFD and National Guard troops,should be proud of themselves for thehard work and dedication.

On Wednesday, April 29, secondshift attendants serviced and parkedover 298 buses, of which 71 of thosebuses were from Division 3305. FromThursday, April 30 through Sunday,May 3, second and third shifts ser-viced over 120 buses a day. With the

help of first shift service attendants,they had to move the yard around toextract buses for PMP, brake reliningand running repairs.

This task was made all the moredifficult because all the buses werereturning within a three hour periodbecause of the curfew.

On Monday, May 4, the secondand third shift serviced and parkedover 412 buses in a storage yard de-signed for 250 buses. The one indi-vidual who stood out was Jamie Anaya,acting service attendant leader. Notonly did he work in the trenches inhelping to get the buses parked, healso helped the supervisor develop aplan to park and control all of theincoming buses.

All during this period, the perfor-mance of mechanics and equipmentrecords specialists was outstanding.They worked side-by-side with Divi-sion 3305 personnel to repair many ofthe buses and on Tuesday, May 5performed a 345 bus rollout.

Overall, it was a job well done.

Sincerely,Ray KunkleManager, Equipment Mainte-nanceDivision 18

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 15

We're Number One (Again!)

by Tom Rubin,Controller-Treasurer

The Federal Transit Adminis-tration (FTA) has released compara-tive performance data for transit op-erators for 1990 and, once again, theSouthern California Rapid TransitDistrict is the most cost-effective andmost productive of all the major urbantransit operators in the nation.

Every year, FTA releases com-parative data for all U.S. transit op-erators. Using this data, District staffhas computed the comparative perfor-mance indicators for the 20 largesturban bus transit operators. The Dis-trict is in its usual position NumberOne.

The graphs on the following pagesshow the results:

Subsidy Per Passenger Mile isthe cost to the taxpayer to move onepassenger one mile. This statistic isthe best indicator of cost-effective-ness of utilization of transit opera-tions dollars. The District tied with theMass Transit Administration ofMary-land (Baltimore) for first place. At$.194, the District's subsidy per pas-senger mile was 38% lower than theaverage of its peers.

Passenger Miles Per Active Ve-hicle is the amount of transit con-sumption for each bus operated. Thisstatistic shows how much productiv-ity that a transit operator gets out of an

investment in capital assets. The Dis-trict, at 640,000 passenger miles pervehicle, was 73 percent above theaverage of its peers and beat secondplace Detroit Department of Trans-portation by 16 percent.

Average Passenger Load is theaverage number of passengers on abus whenever the bus is in revenueservice. This indicator shows how wellthe service provided by a transit Op-erator is utilized by the public. At 18.6percent, the District's average pas-senger load was 45 percent higherthan the peer average and 21 percenthigher than the second place New YorkCity Transit Authority.

These three indicators clearlyshow that the District does the best jobin the country of moving large num-bers ofpeople to where they want to goat the lowest cost. The District hasoften been criticized as being a highcost operator, mainly because our costper revenue hour is regarded as high.However, the name of the game in thetransit business is not driving emptybuses down the street, it is movingpeople to where they want to go, and inmoving people, the District has noequals.

Unfortunately, while our averagepassenger load numbers show that weare very productive, it also shows thatwe are running by far the most over-crowded of any major transit Operatorand that Los Angeles is the mostunderserved transit market in theUnited States. The District's result --45 percent over the average of ourpeers is not the result of buses thatare more overcrowded during the peakperiods (although the District's busesare certainly crowded at peak). Vi du-ally all large urban transit operatorsrun crowded buses at peak. The rea-son our average passenger loads areso much higher than our peers is thatour buses are crowded during the mid-day, during evening and owl service,

and on weekends and holidays -- thatis when we are building up this mar-gin. What makes this result even moreamazing is that the District providesfar more off-peak service than any ofthe other operators our pealc-to-base ratio is the lowest in the industry.In other words, District buses are morecrowded during off-peak periods thanalmost all other urban bus operatorsare during their peaks!

We would like to increase thequality of the service that we provideto our passengers and the only waythat we can do this is by increasing thequantity of service we provide -- thefirst thing that we will have to do togive a higher quality ride to an elderlyfemale passenger is to find her a placeto sit. We can only do this by offeringmore service. We also need to improvesecurity -- and the feeling of security -- for our riders and our employees, toimprove the physical condition andappearance of our fleet, and to im-prove our responsiveness to the needsof our riders.

Our passengers' first priority ismore service and they teil us this whenwe hear from them. A marketing sur-vey along the Blue Line corridorshowed that our riders were not pleasedwith the quality of service. But whenour riders were asked what their toppriority for improvements was, thetop three responses were:

More frequent serviceNew bus linesMore evening service.

More than 70 percent of the re-spondents told us that what theywanted most from us was more ser-vice.

Policy makers and staffare work-ing hard to help give our riders whatthey want -- more service and betterservice. In the mean time, we need thehelp of each RTD employee in doingthe best he or she can for our riderswith the resources we now have.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 16

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Transit Police Officer Richard Aguayo escorts one of many buses through the not-torn city.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 19

RTD 's Transit Police provided armed escorts for our buses and guardedDistrict properties, keeping the areas safe for those working to restore order.

Division Five is deluged by law enforcement officers.

RTD Responds. continued from page 4

vehicles and RTD buses used for po-lice and troop transport.

Division 5's mechanics quicklyrepaired vehicles that arrived back atthe command post displaying bulletholes or other not damage.

RTD's facilities maintenance per-sonne! kept the Division's plumbingand power systems running through-out the days and nights.

One of the most thankless, lonelyjobs to have had during this time wasthat of a policeman. The District's200-member force stood side-by-sideon the front lines with Los AngelesCity and L.A. County law enforce-ment officers, along with hundreds ofmilitary personnel, to help reestablishorder.

Transit Police officers also stood12-hour watches at RTD facilities introubled areas to protect mechanicsand drivers who were expected to re-port to work despite the unstable con-ditions. They also escorted RTD buseswhenever they were transporting Po-lice, fire or military units to assign-ments in the City.

To ensure the safety of our pas-

phone operators each day handled anestimated 35,246 calls, assuring mostpeople that bus and train service wasrunning during the day, and explain-ing to those in the "curfew zone" whytheirs wasn't.

The public was able to keep upwith what RTD was doing from day today by watching television or listeningto the radio. And how did the reportersfind out what buses were running andwhat phone numbers to call? BecauseRTD's News Bureau told them.

The five-person staff took turnsworking six-hour shifts around theclock. They provided dozens of inter-views to newspaper, radio, TV andreporters, frequently going "live"during the wee morning hours, to pre-pare listeners for what service wouldbe offered that day. They wrote 10press releases, telling TV and radiostations which buses were runningand where, so our riders, could stayinformed.

When normal service was finallyrestored Monday, May 4, RTD em-ployces were able to pause after ahectic four days to stand back andreflect on what they had accomplished.During one of the most trying periodsin recent memory, RTD employeescould take justifiable pride in havinghelped restore stability to Los AngelesCounty.

sengers and operators, and at the re-quest of the Los Angeles Police De-partment, RTD canceled service on allor part of 28 bus lines that serve SouthCentral Los Angeles. Hundreds of rid-ers keenly felt the absence of our ser-vice.

Our telephone information opera-tors got those riders' phone calls -- anavalanche of them. Over the four-dayperiod, despite working shorter-than-normal hours, an average of 26 RTD

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 20

RTD Unveils "TRANSLINK" ServiceBusiness Telephones Become Powerful Transit Information Tools

by Greg Davy, Sr, Communica-tions Rep.

A business telephone can repre-sent a direct line to public transporta-tion information with the aid ofTransLink, a new service RTD hasintroduced to help L.A. County firmscomply with strict clean air regula-tions.

"TransLink is greatnews for com-panies that must comply with recently-passed clean-air regulations," saidMarvin Holen, president of RTD'sBoard of Directors. "This will helpemployers help their employees."

"I am sure that if employers tookan informal survey of their workers,they would be surprised to learn howmany wished they could use publictransportation, but do not for a varietyof reasons," Holen said. "It's mainlybecause they haven't tried or don'tknow how to get route and scheduleinformation. This new service is de-signed with those workers in mind."

"The employee who thinks thatit's cheaper to drive his car than usepublic transportation is in for a shock,"said RTD General Manager Alan F.Pegg. "A monthly RTD bus pass cansave an employee big bucks in insur-ance preiniums, fuel costs and mainte-nance of his personal auto."

The District's Corporate TransitPartnership, under the direction ofTeresa Moren, perfected the TransL inksystem. lt gives simple, easy-to-un-derstand instructions on how to uselocal public transportation servicesover a telephone or fax machine.

"The more a finn's employeesunderstand how easy it is to use publictransportation, the more they will leavetheir cars at home," said Moren.

For a hookup fee ranging from$50 to $100 and a modest annualservice charge ranging from $50 to$150, a company can have TransLinkinstalled into its telephone system.Public transportation can then be ob-

tained three ways:• The "Batch" Process. One of

TransLink's features is the ability toeconomically produce, in a singlebatch, a personalized transit itineraryfor every company employee. Eachitinerary includes which bus line totake, where and when to board, andthe fare.• Voice Response. If an individual

itinerary is wanted, TransLink cangive information directly over a touch-tone phone via a computerized voice.This is especially useful for new em-ployees or for those updating old itin-eraries. lt is also helpful in planning atrip via public transportation to unfa-miliar territory.

The RTD Board of Directorshas voted unanimously to expand the198-member Transit Police force to330 sworn officers over the next threeyears. The addition of 132 °Meerswill permit the Transit Police to in-crease its law enforcement presenceon the RTD's approximately 200 buslines and 20,000-plus stops in LosAngeles County.

Plans call for more uniformedofficers to ride buses as part of thedepartment's High Visibility TaskForce, as well as extra emphasis onanti-graffiti, anti-vandalism effortsand deterring pickpockets and otherstreet criminals who prey on transitriders.

Alan Pegg, RTD general man-ager, says funding for the enlargedpolice force, estimated at $3.2 millionper year, would likely come fromProposition C, which earmarks some$20 million annually for transit secu-

• Fax Response. The same kind ofpersonalized itinerary available in theBatch Process can be sent irnmedi-ately via fax machine. The Voice Re-sponse and Fax Response services areavailable from 6 a.m. to midnight ev-ery day.

"We already have 59 companiesusing TransLink service as part of atrial," Moren says. "The responsehas been excellent. We are now readyto offer it to businesses countywide."

TransLink is one of many ser-vices offered for employees. The Cor-porate Transit Partnership routinelyschedules rideshare fairs and transitinformation days at firms throughoutLos Angeles County.

rity.The first of44 newofficers autho-

rized for Fiscal Year 1993 could behired as early as July, if funding isprovided, according to Sharon Papa,Transit Police chief. The Board's votepermits the department to employ 44new officers in FY '94 and the remain-ing 44 in FY '95. A total of 17 newcivilian support staff positions alsowould be created in the next threeyears, and Transit Police would add45 units to its fleet of police cars.

DRIVESAFE,.

RTD Board Votes to ExpandPolice Force to 330 Officers

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 21

Police Blotter

by Sgt. Shari Barberic

On March 6, Transit Police ar-rested eight suspects, including apart-time RTD bus operator, for posses-sion of stolen bus transfers. The ar-rests were the result of an extensiveinvestigation, spearheaded by Detec-tive Myron Smith. Officers from In-vestigations and S.C.A.A.T. servedthe search warrants in the early morn-ing hours and arrested the suspects atresidences in the 4100 block of SouthSan Pedro Place, the 400 block ofNorth Rampart Boulevard, and the100 block of Chicago Street in LosAngeles. All eight were booked onfelony charges of grand theft, em-bezzlement and conspiracy.

Officers seized 42 books of stolenRTD bus transfers with a value of upto $2,310, along with ticket punches,$15,000 in cash, and various forged orcounterfeit identifications and buspasses.

Officers have arrested 134 per-sons for sales of stolen transfers sincethe beginning of 1992 and continue todeploy teams of officers to combat theproblem. Sergeants Janice Hart andMichael Hendrix were comrnended fortheir outstanding supervision duringthe arrests.

Officers George Cranson and Ri-chard Lewis, assigned to the Division15 substation, were recognized fortheir bulldog tenacity in capturing thesame suspect twice in one day. OnFebruary 20, officers received a radiocall regarding theft activity and spot-ted the suspect at a bus stop at Glenoaksand Hubbard. The suspect ran into anearby business, where he removedhis distinctive shirt in a futile effort tothrow the officers off his trail. He wasarrested and transported to the SanFernando Police Department andbooked on charges of receiving stolenproperty.

While in the custody of SanFernando police officers, the man ran

out of the police station and scaled awall, out of view. Cranson and Lewisconducted an area search and foundthe suspect hiding in a barber shop. Hewas arrested on an additional chargeof escaping from police custody, andreturned directly to jail without fur-ther internetion.

Persistence also paid off for Of-ficers Jim Pochick and Pat Njland.They received a radio call from aneastbound Line 33 bus, reporting aderanged man aboard threateningwomen passengers with a pair of scis-sors. The women were terrified and

The Stats . . .Transit Police made 459 ar-

rests during February. Eighty-threewere for fclony crimes and 128, madeby GHOST, were of juveniles com-mitting vandalism and related of-fenses. Officers also issued 490 ci-tations, handled 1,952 radio callsand completed 7,452 random busboardings.

fled, and the suspect exited the bus atVenice and Crenshaw. Fearing thesuspect might harm other passengersor operators on another bus, Njlandand Pochick continued their responseand conducted a foot search for thesuspect at the adjacent shopping plaza.

Officers spotted the suspect in-sidc one of the businesses, hawkingstolen property. When officers con-fronted him, the suspect struck Offi-cer Njland and a struggle ensucd. Thesuspect reached into his pants pocketand grabbed the scissors. The suspectwas ordered at gunpoint to drop thescissors, and when he hesitated, Offi-cer Pochick was able to safely disarmthe suspect, who was then arrested.The Operator positively identified thesuspect and he was booked for assaultwith a dcadly weapon on a peaceofficer and exhibiting a weapon in a

threatening manner.Officers Ron Davis and Jim

Pochick arrested three suspects forassault with a deadly weapon aller areport from an. operator at 6th andFlower. The suspects had been loudand offensive aboard the bus and whena male passenger had asked them toquiet down and show some respect forthe women and children aboard, thesuspects badly beat the man and at-tempted to steal his briefcase. Thesuspects then left on foot, but theOperator could still see them andpointed the suspects out to officers,who quickly arrested them.

Sergeant Gil Rascon reported thatthe quick actions of Officers WilliamCody and John Batres saved a busfrom an engine Lire on March 11. Theofficers were eastbound on the 10freeway and spotted the bus on fire atthe Alameda off-ramp. Theyused theirfire extinguisher to put down the blazeand prevent a possible loss.

We are looking forward to pro-viding you with continued updates onTransit Police activities and programs;we are seeking a partnership with youdedicated to ensuring a safe environ-ment for our fellow employees as wellas for the bus riding public.

Transit Police stood guard outsideDivision 5 during the rioting.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 22

by Lt. Tilll Murphy

No huffing and puffing here. A smile for the camera.

Marathon Men and WomenTransit Police Race in the 120-Mile Baker to Las Vegas Relay Race

On April 4 at 1430 hours, OfficerFred Noya took off ninning at a rapidpace from a starting line just out ofBaker, California. His destination was6.9 miles down the bot and stickydesert road where he passed a batonoff to another Transit Police officer,who continued the journey. This pro-cess was repeated 20 times until ourDepartment's final runner, TonyHacken completed the 120-mile trip-and crossed the Challenge Cup Relayfinish line in front of the Las VegasHilton Hotel.

This year, more than 140 lawenforcement teams entered the annualBaker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relayrace. One hundred thirty-four man-aged to finish the somewhat gruelingrace across the Mojave Desert. Ourdepartment's 1992 team consisted of25 runners, six support personnel anda lot of friends and family.

Our team competed in the cat-egory for agencies with fewer than300 officers. There were 28 such de-partments in this grouping. (We stillhaven't determined how the SecretService and Postal Inspectors squeezed

Alan Pegg snapped this photo of TonyHackett as he crossed the finish line.

in.) 'We finished the race in 16 hoursand 14 minutes and placed 13th in ourdivision. Overall, among all the teamswe placed 64th. By any standard thiswas a very good showing, especiallywhen one considers that we beat somevery good departments that have beenrunning this event for many years.

Everyone ran well. However, TP 0Estrada had an especially good per-formance on a difficult leg, and wecouldn't keep count of the runners he

Officer Linda Slaughter was theDepartment 's lone female contestant.

passed. Perhaps it is because theirassignments are very demanding andnecessitate that they be quick and intop condition, but MOB and GHOSTwere the best represented units par-

In the wee hours of the morning , GeneralManager Pegg and Chief Papa talkstrategy.

ticipating in the race. Chief SharonPapa, sergeants Hart and Rascon,along with Frank Higuera, JoshVanBaricom and Victor Cerda wereinstrumental in providing needed sup-port for everyone along the entire raceroute.

Chief Sharon Papa and Alan Pegg,RTD general manager, were at thefinish line to greet Hackett and offercongratulations to eveiyone for a jobwell done.

As a team we accomplished a lot.We gained experience, developed agood deal of confidence and strength-ened our feeling of camaraderie. Wealso established our team as one thatwill have to be contended with in thefuture.

Hopefully, next year we can all bein shape by the first of the year andthen spend the next couple of monthson speed training. If we do this, wehave the potential to be at the very topof the pack. Let's go for it!

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 23

Tony Fortuno, director of marketing and communications and HarryGoldsborough, manager of market research and advertising with some of thenumerous national awards given to the RTD marketingvideo, "Operation BlueLine."

RTD Spotlights Blue Line Safety

RTD Blue Line Marketing VideoWins Five National Awards

44 np erat ion Blue Line," a

video produced by the RTD Market-ing and Communications Departmentto promote the opening of the BlueLine, continues to receive recognition,winning a fifth national award sinceits release in 1990.

Starring the Teenage Mutant Ninj aTurtles, the RTD video competed withmore than 1,000 entries in winningFinalist Awards from the New YorkFestival, the Houston InternationalFilm and Video Festival, the TellyAwards, and a Cern ficate of CreativeExcellence from the U.S. IndustrialFilm and Video Festival.

Most recently, "Operation BlueLine" was recognized by the Ameri-can Film and Video Festival Awards.

More than 100,000 copies of thevideo were distributed free of chargeby the Marketing Department to resi-dents along the route of the Blue Lineprior to the start ofrevenue service. Ofthe total, 30,000 were produced inSpanish. The 10-minute productionby Show Reel International of Holly-wood utilized the Ninja Turtles tomotivate interest and ridership in thenew raul service between Los Angelesand Long Beach.

"The entire marketing staffis hon-ored to receive these awards in recog-nition of its work in making OperationBlue Line," said Tony Fortuno, direc-tor ofmarketing. "We believe it helpedbring the message of riding the BlueLine in an exciting and effective wayto residents of the corridor who havebeen using the system in record num-bers since its opening."

Harry Goldsborough of the Mar-keting Department served as projectmanager for the video, while MikeBarnes handled the distribution of thecassettes.

Operation "Trooper on the

By Rick Jager, Sr. Communica-tions Rep.

Judges and District Attorneyprosecutors from the Compton Courtjoined RTD and four area law en-forcement agencies in March for anundercover Operation to cite trafficoffenders near Blue Line tracks andstations.

Four police agencies issued a to-tal of 55 citations over a two hourperiod during an undercover Opera-tion designed to focus attention on theimportance of safety around RTD'sBlue Line.

"This exercise was a completesuccess in raising the public's aware-ness regarding rau l safety and the dan-gers of disobeying rau l safety laws,"said RTD General Manager Alan F.Pegg.

Police officers issued citations forviolations such as ignoring flashing

Train Called a Success"

warning signals, pedestrians walkingacross the tracks against flashing sig-nals, illegal left turns across the tracksand standing on the tracks in a vehicle.

The L.A. County Sheriff s De-partment joined police agencies fromLos Angeles, Compton and LongBeach in the event called "Trooper onthe Train."

"RTD, with the help of these lawenforcement agencies, will continue todo everything we can to protect ourriders and our employees from peoplewho deliberately ignore the safety sys-tems on the Blue Line," said Pegg.

"We take safety precautions veryseriously for Blue Line patrons andthe public in general," he added.

"With this program, we not onlyissued citations, but also talked to thepeople to impress upon them the ex-treme importance of respecting the

continued on page 23 . . .

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 24

Carnpaigning for Safety

Evan Anderson Braude, left, member ofRTD board ofdirectors and Long Beach city councilman, presents a display standof safety brochures to Bill Kaelin, store director of Top Valu Market as part of the ongoing Blue Line safety program.The permanent RTD public education campaign is designed to alert motorists against making left turns into the path ofthe light rau l trains. Explanations in English and Spanish of traffic signals at Blue Line intersections are contained inthe brochures, available in stores up and down the light rail corridor.

power of the trains," said Lt. GarySchoeller of the Sheriff Department'sTransit Services Bureau.

"I think a lot of people now havea healthier attitude about trains,"Schoeller said. "We hope they will teiltheir family and friends about it, too."

Patrol cars and motorcycles fromeach police agency were deployed intheir respective jurisdictions along the22-mile route of the Blue Line, watch-ing for train crossing violations andother unsafe practices.

In addition, Compton CourtJudgeJerry E. Johnson and Head DeputyDistrict Attomey Steven Sowders, whohear and prosecute these traffic cases,attended the event for a first hand lookat how motorists ignore crossing gatesand flashing signals.

In a continuing effort to make the

Blue Line as safe as possible, theDistrict earlier this year launched anaggressive new rau l public educationcampaign involving businesses alongthe Blue Line route.

So far, 50 business establishmentsin Los Angeles and Long Beach haveagreed to join RTD in placing BlueLine safety brochures and flyers ondisplay for their patrons.

The b rochures and flyers, printedin English and Spanish, explain tomotorists how to read Blue Line ve-hicle waming signs and left-hand turnsignals.

The "Trooper on the Train" pro-gram was created by Operation Life-saver, a national rail safety awarenessorganization based in Virginia.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 25

CHEDULANGES

Girardi, David, from Tran-sit Police Officer to TransitPolice Investigator.

Gurantz, Michael, fromStatistical Analyst to Su-pervising Planner-PlanningSystems.

Hays, John F., from Me-chanic "C" to Mechanic

Mays, Jon A., from Tran-sit Police Officer to TransitPolice Investigator.

McJunkin, Lin da K., fromMechanic "C"toMechanic

Miller, Craig W., fromTransit Police Officer (Tm)to Transit Police Officer.

Abdelrashoul, Elsayed I.,from Electrician Helper toElectrician.

Benninghoven, DorothyM., from General Clerk I toSecretary.

Bishop, William D., fromTrack Inspector to RailTrack Supervisor.

Bonakdar, Mory, fromMechanic "A" Leader toMaintenance Special ist.

Byrd, Belinda L., fromTransit Police Officer (Tm)to Transit Police Officer.

Calbo, Herbert, from DataProcessor Operator to LeadData Processor Operator.

Castillo, Ray, from Me-chanic "B" to Mechanic

Chau, Ha M., from StaffAide to Schedule Maker I.

Chavez, Vicente, from Ser-vice Attendant to Mechanic

Cheaves, Teddie E., fromMechanic "B" to Mechanic

Cheney, Robert A., fromMechanic "C"to Mechanic

Coscarelli, Frank C., fromMechanic "C" to Mechanic

Elliott, Mana S., fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Epps, Ronald, from Me-chanic "B" to Mechanic

Esposito, Antonio, fromMechanic "C" to MechanicccBel.

Farrow, Willie J., fromMechanic "C" to Mechanic

Felix, Gary E., from Sys-tems Electro Communica-tions Technician to Engi-neering Analyst.

Fernandez, Jose A., fromTransit Police Officer (Trn)to Transit Police Officer.

Figueroa, Hector M., fromTransit Police Officer (Tm)to Transit Police Officer.

Fletcher, Marcus L., fromMechanic "B" to Mechanic

Flory, Harold J., fromElectronic Inspector to En-gineering Analyst.

Hernandez, Jose A., fromMechanic "B" to Mechanicg4A3l.

Herrington, Otis, fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Higuera, Frank A., fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Jennings, Mark S., fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Jones, Johnnie, from Tran-sit Police Officer to TransitPolice Investigator.

Kuo, Joe Mu-Lin, fromSchedule Maker I to Sched-ule Maker II.

Ladage, Clifton, fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Leohr, Carlos R., fromMechanic "C" to Mechanic

Macias, Cesar T., fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Makdessi, Nassim K.,from Mechanic "C" to Me-chanic "B".

Mayfield; Brent R., fromProgrammer to Program-mer Analyst.

Mohamedy, Iqbal, fromMechanic "B"to Mechanic

Moreno, Jesus, from Me-chanic "C" to Mechanic(LB1).

Morgan, David H., fromTransit Police Officer (Tm)to Transit Police Officer.

Morris, Joyce E., fromStock Clerk to Buyer As-sistant.

Nguyen, Dan L., fromSchedule Maker I to Sched-ule Maker II.

Pisciotta, Jack, from StockClerk to Storekeeper.

Pochick, James N., fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Rakisits, Craig A., fromMechanic "B" to Mechanic

Ransom, Justin H., fromMechanic "C" to MechanicG CB1 1.

Rayhill, Robert V., fromSystem Electro Comm.Tech. to System ElectroComm. Technician Leader.

Romero, Rogelio, fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 26

eEFTINGARS Jackson, Irene, began with

the District on April 16,1979 and retired as a BusOperator Full Time onMarch 26, 1991.

Sanders, J. W., began withthe District on December09, 1971 and retired as aBus Operator Full Time onJanuary 04, 1992.

Adams, Herbert T., be-gan with the District on May09, 1974 and retired as aBus Operator Full Time onAugust 15, 1989.

Adams, Richard W., be-gan with the District on De-cember 15, 1975 and re-tired as a Bus Operator FullTime on February 18, 1992,

Baker, John C., began withthe District on June 16,1972 and retired as a Tran-sit Operations Supervisoron February 18, 1992.

Butler, Louis L., beganwith the District on March13, 1969 and retired as aUtility "A" on March 21,1992.

Carter, Chauncey M., be-gan with the District onMara 03, 1986 and re-tired as a Sr Secretary onApril 01, 1992.

Chavers, Elliott M., b e-gan with the District on Feb-ruary 19, 1966 and retiredas a Bus Operator Full Timeon February 20, 1992.

Colbert, Charles V., be-gan with the District on July25, 1960 and retired as aTransit Operations Super-visor on February 29, 1992.

Collison, Frank M., be-gan with the District on Feb-ruary 08, 1982 and retiredas a Mechanic "A" onMarch 02, 1992.

Douglas, George A., be-gan with the District onMarch 15, 1969 and retiredas a Bus Operator Full Timeon March 16, 1992.

Guinan, P. J., began withthe District on August 07,1956 and retired as a Tran-sit Operations Supervisoron February 29, 1992.

Jackson, James L., beganwith the District on Novem-ber 09, 1980 and retired asa Bus Operator Full Timeon November 12, 1991.

Ochoa, Gil S., began withthe District on February 13,1975 and retired as a

Maintenance Man-ager on February 29, 1992.

Portier, George M., be-gan with the District onApril 21, 1960 and retiredas a Mechanic "A" on Feb-ruary 22, 1992.

Ramos, John L., beganwith the District on March02, 1981 and retired as aMechanic "A" on March07, 1992.

Rodriguez, Armando, be-gan with the District onMarch 12, 1966 and re-tired as a Bus Operator FullTime on March 20, 1992.

Self, Gregory A., beganwith the District on July 29,1972 and retired as a Me-chanic "A': on October 31,1991.

Simmons, Harry C., be-gan with the District onFeb-ruary 25, 1967 and retiredas a Bus Operator Full Timeon February 29, 1992.

Walth, John W., beganwith the District on Octo-ber 19, 1963 and retired asa Bus Operator Full Timeon February 28, 1992.

Wilson, Russell E., beganwith the District on Febru-ary 16, 1959 and retired asa Sr. Planner on April 01,1992.

Ros, Mina, from Mechanic"B" to Mechanic "A".

Rudd, Daniel R., fromTransit Police Officer (Trn)to Transit Police Officer.

Ruiz, William A., fromTruck Driver/Clerk to StockClerk.

Singleton, Michael J.,from Transit Police Officer(Trn) to Transit Police Of-ficer.

Torres, Edward J., fromTransit Police Officer toTransit Police Investigator.

Walters, Charles V., fromMechanic "C" to Mechanic

Washington, Arnell H.,from Transit Police Officerto Transit Police Investiga-tor.

Wedemeyer, Larry C.,from Transit Police Officer(Trn) to Transit Police Of-ficer.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 27

BLICOMMENDATIONS

Dear RTD:My husband and I were caught in

yesterday's downpour just as we leftthe Blue Line and sprinted to catch the79 bus to Arcadia which was justarriving. The driver was most courte-ous and sympathetic with our suddenstate and visited with us during thelayover time as we watched the rainpouring down and heard the thunder.

When we were on our way, he greetedthe passengers (most of whom, like us,were unprepared for the deluge) with,"Come in -- get in from out of therain" and was really interested in hispassengers.

At one downtown stop, a youngperson dashed into the bus, grabbedthe book of transfers and sped away.Instead of being upset, our driversmiles and said, "He got the dummybook." lt seems our driver had pre-pared a number oftransfers with all ofthe dates and times punched out andhung it where it could be easily ob-tained. He told us he kept the officialtransfers on his left side! We wereimpressed with his ingenuity and philo-sophical attitude. Many of the signalsweren't functioning and traffie wasslow, but he calmly kept the bus going.

His name is Handy Weathersbee. Heis a "key" employee of RTD.

Sincerely,Carmelita Haeske

•Dear RTD:Yesterday was my first trip on the

Blue Line, and I would like to say itwas quite an experience. My car brokedown, and I had to be to work by 6am., and I was a little distressed be-cause I had never ridden the train, andit was very important that I be there ontime.

I arrived at the First Street stationin Long Beach just as a train did, andI had no idea how to purchase myticket. The operator, Mr. R. Rodriguez,told me to just go ahead and get on andhe would help me at the next station.

In MemoriamAlvarado, Gilbert C, began withthe District on May 25, 1959, retiredas a Bus Operator Full Time andpassed away on December 15, 1991.

Antoine, Ken ry, beganwiththe Dis-trict on September 10, 1946, retiredas a Utility "A" Leader and passedaway on February 01, 1992.

Bartlett, Theo R., began with theDistrict on January 16, 1923, retiredas a Asst. Service Director andpassed away on February 15, 1992.

Brown, William C., began with theDistrict on May 09, 1979, retired asa Bus Operator Full Time and passedaway on February 16, 1992.

Dixon, Dale L., began with the Dis-trict on June 23, 1972, retired as aBus Operator Full Time and passedaway on January 18, 1992.

Gamwell, Charles W., began withthe District on August 25, 1972,retired as a Bus Operator Full Timeand passed away on February 03,1992.

Hoffman, Eldon A., began with theDistrict on March 07, 1964, retiredas a Bus Operator Full Time andpassed away on January 09,1992.

Hunter, Clover B., began with theDistrict on April 21, 1925, retired asa Bus Operator and passed away onFebruary 14, 1992.

Patten, Harvey E., began with theDistrict on June 29, 1926, retired asa Bus Operator and passed away onFebruary 24, 1992.

Pontrelli, John, began with the Dis-trict on September 04, 1923, retiredas a Mechanic A and passed awayan January 30, 1992.

Williams, Curtis, began with theDistrict on November 09, 1973, re-tired as a Bus Operator Full Timeand passed away on Januar}, 30,1992.

Williams, Herbert K., began withthe District on August 04, 1941,retired as a Bus Operator and passedaway on February 20, 1992.

Butler, Jesse R, began with theDistrict on November 23, 1936,retired as a Bus Operator and passedaway on December 31, 1991.

Conroy, J.T., began with the Dis-trict on March 27, 1957, retired as aMechanic "A" Leader and passedaway on November 19, 1991.

Leckemby, A. E., began with theDistrict on September 03, 1937, re-tired as a Schedule Maker and passedaway on February 09, 1992.

Ophus, Harold L., began with theDistrict on October 08, 1926, retiredas a Bus Operator and passed awayon January 13, 1992.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 28

June is Cancer in the Sun MonthSENSIBLE SUNNING CAN BE A SUMMER GOAL!The National Safety Council reminds everyone to wear protective clothing and sun-

screen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or more when working or playingoutside this summer. Reapply sunscreen often, especially after swimming or perspiring.

Too much exposure to the sun—even on overcast clays, when about 70 to 80 percentof the sun's rays still penetrate the clouds—can cause skin cancer.

When we stopped on First Street, allof the other passengers boarded an-other train for L.A., so I was there bymyself. Mr. Rodriguez came out ofthe platform and showed me how topurchase myticket, and then proceededto answer all of the questions that Ihad. He was extremely courteous andalso very kind. I also feel that he wentvery far above and beyond the call ofduty, which was very impressive. Hedidn't have to treat me the way he did,but he cared, and that made me feelgood. I could have figured it out formyself, but a lot of the information heprovided me was not written on theboards at the station.

I understand that it is not prob-ably often that a coach Operator hasthe opportunity to speak one-on-onewith a passenger, so it is that muchmore impressive to me that this gentle-man treated me the way he did. lt is avery refreshing change from the day-to-day attitude that we all usuallyencounter.

I would appreciate it greatly ifMr. Rodriguez's supervisor is madeaware of this letter, and if it could goin his employee package. I myself amin the service industry and am awareof how much recognition of a job well

done is appreciated.Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez. you

started a very rough day for me on avery bright note.

Sincerely,Dona WeaverLong Beach

•Dear RTD:On Thursday, March 5, I had the

pleasure of riding on the eastboundLine 120, driven by Operator LeonardGilmore (Badge #18523).

I boarded the bus at Crenshawand Imperial at approximately 6:30p.m. and was promptly greeted with awarm hello as were the others whoboarded with me. I rode to the ImperialMetro Rail Station, and at each stopalong the way, Mr. Gilmore performedin an exemplary manner. He was po-lte and helpful to each passenger inneed of assistance, showed good pa-tience with a passenger who had mis-placed bis transfer, and was extremelysensitive to the needs of a visually-impaired rider who boarded with aseeing eye dog.

I frequently ride the bus and havehad several negative experiences withdrivers directly and indirectly, andoften consider other means of trans-

portation because ofthese experiences.Mr. Gilmore's attitude and profes-sional manner however made me feelgood about riding the bus onthis occa-sion.

Keep up the good work, Mr.Gilmore. You personify what a ser-vice-oriented company is supposed tobe and for that, you should be com-mended. Thank you for the enjoyableride and may God bless you.

S ince rely,Rod HillInglewood

•Dear RTD:I wish to cornmend Linda Car-

penter. In my numerous dealings withher she has been thoroughly profes-sional, courteous, and sympatheticwith the frustrations which led to mycalls.

I, too, am a professional whosejob it is to deal with the public as acontact representative of the SocialSecurity Administration. I appreciategood service and believe it should berecognized.

Sincerely,Janet C. Johnson

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 29

By George . . .

lt wasn't St. Patrick's Day, butwe had a lot of little people show up atDivision 9. Maria Aguirre of LocalGovernment and Community Affairscame by with the kindergarten classfrom Shirpser Elementary School inEl Monte. Room mothers escorted littleClaudia Sanchez and 25 of her class-

As the dust settles and the SantaAnas begin to blow the smoke away,the sun also rises dawning a new day.Many of our minds are still searchingfor reasoning and answers, continu-ously replaying events like a computersearching for the final digit in an end-less algorithm. Was this an assault on"the system" or a raping of human-ity? The healing process has begunand the course we take is one whichwill be given direction by our attitude.Let us hope itwill be one of positivity.

People, regardless of age, race orprofession, are not automatically posi-tive. We all continually search forways to gain, maintain and iniprove apositive attitude.

mates to a cake and ice cream partyheld at the Division 9 maintenancecafeteria. lt was C laudia' s birthday.Yours truly (George Pepper) piggedout on the goodics. Christin Crow wasour cake cutter. After downing thegood stuff, we toured the shop area,then boarded my coach for a tour of

What is an attitude? Why are somepeople more negative than others?What can one do to become positive?More importantly, how can one staypositive? Although my views are notbased on scientific research, I'd like toshare my answers to these questionswith you.

For openers, attitude is a highlypersonal and sensitive topic. No onecan force a change in your attitude.You alone have that responsibility,and you must do it in your own way.An excellent starting place in yourquest to stay positive is to examineyour present attitude. I suggest being

continued on page 32. . .

the Busway. Harry Finley, Mechanicextraordinaire, was our tour guide. Helectured on the problems of graffitiand RTD cleanup costs. He told thechildren they could heip by tellingtheir friends about the wanton de-struction and how it impresses no one.

As I drove west on the Busway, Iexplained how much faster it was toride the bus, and that about 31,000people took advantage of that everyday. I explained that RTD buses droveabout 300,000 miles per day and that1.3 million people ride them daily.

We then rounded the Union Sta-tion and talked about the linkup withthe trains and how the subway wouldmove more people. Returning throughthe Gibson Tunnel, Harry encouragedthe children to give us their best schoolspirit scream. They, of course, did.

The children were the envy oftheir schoolmates as I drove tkm backto the front of the school and bid thema good day and reminded them thatauto pollution is not good for healthythings or kids and, to please tell theirparents to take the bus whenever pos-sible.

There is more to the Headwaythan Headquarters offices. So remem-ber, if you have a story, drop me a lineat Division 3209.

George PepperDivision 9 operator

Letter to the Editor

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 30

A Financial Flunky Talks About District Investmentsby Greg Davy,RTD Press Relations

13efore I came to the District, Iwas a journalist by trade. That's apolite way of saying that I never had to\vorry much about how to invest allmy money, because I didn't have any.

I have to admit that there is acertain feeling of freedom associatedwith not having to check the stockmarket report every day. Words like"portfolio" and "diversification" and"securities" came and went throughmy mind blissfully unrecognized.

But when I switched careers andbegan earning a fair wage for a change,I started thinking about rainy days(the ones your mother used to talkabout, as in "put something away fora rainy day") and The Future, whichgets shorter as we get older.

The time had come, I told myself,to invest make my money work forme, as the bankers are fond of saying,But, having no experience at this kindof thing, I went to see the wizards inthe District's deferred compensationand investments office.

For those of you who panic at thesight of spread sheets and prospec-tuses, I'd like to share with you, inlayman's terms, what they taught me.

My first suggestion: Take MelMarquardt and/or Monica Ingram tolunch. Show them a good time. Youwant them as your friends. Theirshrewd investments for the Districtover the years pay for their yearlysalaries many times over. Startingthemout with a nice meal oflobsterNewburgcouldn't hurt.

I'm just kidding about the lunch.The best part is that Mel and Monicaare there specifically to help lead youthrough the maze of investment possi-bilities. And they're available when-ever you need them. And they're free. There are lots of highfalutin brokersout there who would be only too glad

to charge you fifty bucks an hour fortheir sage advice when Mel and Monicawill do it just as well, if not better, forzilch.

Here's what they told me. Thereare two basic ways to save money atthe RTD: a deferred compensationplan, or a 401K plan.

What does "deferred compensa-tion" mean? I asked Mel. He smiledone of those "I see this is going to bea long meeting" smiles before cheer-fully explaining.

RTD Issues FY '91Annual Report

TUhe Fiscal Year 1991 annualreport for RTD has been issued andis available to the public.

The 24-page report containsyear-end messages from RTD'sboard president and general man-ager, operatonal highlights and sta-tistics from the District's bus andtrain service, financial highlights,and a complete financial disclosurestatement.

To obtain a copy of the RTD's1991 Annual Report, call (213) 972-4655, or write RTD's Departmentof Local Government and Commu-nity Affairs, 425 S. Main Street, LosAngeles 90013.

"As you are painfully aware, youare taxed for every dollar you earn,"Mel said. "In this plan, we `defer,' orset aside, some of your paycheck, sothat you pay taxes only on what youkeep. You teil us how much you wantus to keep every two weeks, and weinvest it for you."

And a "401K" plan? "It's essen-tially the same kind of setup, but avail-able to our non-contract employeesonly," Mel said. "Both options have avariety of excellent ways to get a goodreturn on your money."

So let's say I decide to "defer"$100 from every paycheck. What hap-pens to the hundred bucks?

"You haveto help us decide whereyou want it to go," Mel explained."Each of the two programs has fourways to invest money."

Mel sensed my uneasiness andsought to reassure me. "It's reallyvery easy," he said. "A lot of knowl-edgeable people aroundhere have donetheir homework. All you have to do isdecide how much of a risk you want totake in your investments."

"Risk" is a word that makes mevery nervous . But the more Mel talked,the better I felt. "Risk" is a relativeterm when it comes a District invest-ments.

lt really boils down to two ques-tions: Do you want to put your moneyin a situation where an eight or ninepercent interest rate is virtually guar-anteed? Or are you willing to gamblea little with a more aggressive invest-ment firm, with the high possibility ofa much bigger payoff?

Take as an examp le the WellingtonFund option available in the DeferredCompensation Plan. In the past fiveyears, the interest payoffhas averagedmore than 12 percent a year. And thelist of firms it holds stock in reads likea Who's Who from an American Cor-porate Success list: Northrop, BristolMyers, IBM, Honeywell Inc., Exxon,Sara Lee and the Woolworth Corpo-ration, to name just a handful.

"We don't deal with investorsunless they have a solid record ofgrowth and success," Mel said. "Wecan never guarantee anyone a return,but we've set things up so that youcan't really make a bad choice. Thekey is diversity."

There's that word again -- diver-sification. Simply put, it means notputting all your eggs in one basket.Mel and Monica make sure that RTDdeals only with investors who have

Continued an page 32. .

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 31

wisely diversified their stock holdingsamong many different companies.Therefore, if one of the companies inwhich the investment firm holds stockgoes bankrupt, you'll lose only a frac-tion of what was invested, while theother companies in the package con-tinue to do well. You still end up awinner in the long run.

"The bottom line is that we' ve gota darn good savings plan that will fityour needs," Mel said. "I know thatsounds like a commercial, but I reallydo believe that RTD employees arefortunate to have these kinds of invest-ments backing them up."

I left Mel' s office feeling richer,not only in my bank account but in theknowledge that the District really islooking alter my interests. You can'tbuy that kind of peace of mind.

Mel (extension 6850) and Monica(extension 6856) will give it to you atno charge.

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Letter to the Editor. . . continued from page 28

honest, but not too serious because toomuch introspection could cause you tolose your perspective and/or your senscof humor. This could be counterpro-ductive. To help guard against becom-ing too serious, keep your journeylight, and remind yourself to hold ontoyour sense of humor. Without humor,your pursuit of a more positive atti-tude could be permanently detoured.

On the surface, attitude is the wayyou communicate your mood to oth-ers. Think of attitude as your mentalfocus on the outside world. Like usinga camera, you can focus or set yourmind on what appeals to you. You caneithcr see situations as opportuniticsor burdens. lt is within your power toconcentrate on selected aspects ofyour

environment and ignore others. Quitesimply, you take the picture of life youwant to take. Once you are able to alteryour imagery to highlight the positive,you are on the right road. Positiveattitude is a mind-sct tippcd in favor ofcreative activity rather than boredom,joy over sadness, hope over fiitility; astate of mind which can only be main-tained through conscious effort.

In ordcr to bounce back to positiv-ity when something jars one's mentalfocus in a negative direction, adjust-ments must bc madc. Everyone em-ployees, studcnts, homemakers, retir-ees, must occasionally engage in someform of attitude renewal or adjust-ment. There is no escape. Thrce main-tenance rules that have proven invalu-able to me arc as follows:

1. Slow down until you gain apositive attitude. When hit with ahcavyproblem, back away to gain the bestfocus.

2. Identify the best possible solu-tion. Get the facts, isolate the alterna-tives, carefully weigh the solutions.

3. Live with the solution grace-fiilly. Not all solutions are ideal, but,give your best effort to your choice.

In that we attract what we mirror,displaying a positivity can only causea perpetual air of positive change andinspiration to (Aus. Be aware, it maynot happen over night, however, ifyoucount every year as a month, everymonth as a weck, every week as a day,evcry day as an hour, and every houras a second, any second now thingswill change.

Dee Hawkins,Customer Relations

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 32

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A

Riot Reflections. . . continued from page 14

Edward James Olmos who appearedon every LA channel Thursday nightbegging people to stay home. Evenwith his lone voice I sank into depres-sion and hopelessness. I felt so help-less, so frustrated watching my worldgoing up in smoke on television andthere wasn't a damn thing I or any-body else could do.

I called a friend in Culver City tosec how she was doing and we talkedabout the riots. She told me thatOlmos was heading up work crewsfrom the First AME church on Satur-day moming. I told her I was going togo.

At 6 am. the next moming at thecomer of Adams Blvd. and Western inSouth Central, I met up with about 50other people carrying brooms, heftybags, rakes, shovels, and dustpans.We were told to go first to the comerof Western and Slauson. The acidstench of the bumed buildings hungheavy in the air. At Western I pickedup my sweep broom and started sweep-ing up debris left from the sacking bylooters. I remember quietly helpingthis lady, a teacher, bag up trash.Never have I seen so many people soeager to work.

Within 20 minutes we were di-rected by workers with the Commu-nity Youth Gang Services to walkdown Gage to Vermont and work onthat corner. As we were walking downGage I looked behind me and wastouched to see how our ranks hadswelled. lt seemed like hundreds ofpeople were behind me. Ten of usfound a trashed Chevron gas stationand without a word of direction setabout putting it in order. When peopleare together in their task good workgoes fast. I walked down Vermont tothe south and found an Asian shop-keeper sweeping up debris carried fromhis auto parts store. I joined in andstarted helping him sweep up brokenglass, screws, and other now unidenti-fiable objects. I asked him what had

happened to his store. He was one ofthe lucky ones, his store had only beenransacked, not bumed down. I offeredto help him clean up and reshelve theinterior. Politely, he declincdmy offerand seemed almost embarrassed.

We walked furthcr down Vermontand some volunteers from Commu-nity Youth Gang Services offered us ali ft to the comer of Florence andFigueroa. That intersection was un-der a foot of water, cars heavily show-ering pedestrians as they passedthrough. The traffic lights weren'tworking and traffic was getting backedup. Will, one ofthe people in my crew,took off to the center of the intersec-tion to direct traffic. He did it quitewell too. I envied him, it's alwaysbeen one of my fantasies. The rest ofus pulled glass shards out ofthe store-front frames of a looted and torchedgas station. The gas station was acrossthe street from a school, possibly ajunior high school. The teachers I waswith were concemed that the childrenwould be attracted by the glass andinjure themselves. Again, the concen-trated effort took only about 15 min-utes.

For the first time in three days Ifelt good, I feit hopeful. When I wassweeping up the lot of the gas station,I remembered something GeorgeMeany, president of the AFL-CIO,once said when I worked with thelabor federation. "Hard work is thebest therapy." What struck me aboutthe crew I was with was that alongwith the physical labor so generouslygiven were their good intentions. Iworked shoulder to shoulder with menand women who were white, Latino,Asian, Jewish, Trojans, Bruins, andof every other artificial descriptionwe've devised over the years. I feltlike my heart would burst with pridebeing with this gallant group ofpeople.Simultaneously, I felt like my heartwould break witnessing first hand allthe devastation. I was lucky, I got toleave South Central when I wanted to.

MAYIS . • •

riri 1LülsA-N1-LI- • - • ei.BLOODPRESSUREMONTH

One in four adults has elevatedblood pressure. High bloodpressure produces few

noticeable symptoms, yet itincreases the risk for heart attack,stroke, and kidney disease. Haveyour blood pressure measured nowand regularly.

The easiest ways to keep bloodpressure in control, short of medi-cation: Cut satt and fat intake, stopsmoking, drink in moderation,watch that weight, exercise regu-larly, and learn to relax. lt feelsgreat!

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 34

MENDATIONS

Richard Alvarado, a 17-year veteran bus operator, has been selected as Operator of the Month for Februar y. TheMoreno Valley resident was so chosen because he has compiled an outstanding record for safety, service andattendance. He was named "Outstanding Operator" at RID Division 16 from 1988 through 1991. "RichardAlvarado's record of no at-fault accidents goes back 15 years," said Karl Mueller, assistant division manager. "Hehas accumulated the maximum number of merits and has received frequent commendations from various divisionmanagers and from his passengers. " Working out of RI'D Division 10 in Los Angeles, Alvarado drives Line 20 alongWilshire Boulevard through the heart of downtown and into the West Side. Alvarado and his wife, Issa, have adaughter, Ikssa, 14, and son, Ricky,,10. A native of Arizona, Alvarado served with the U.S. Army in Germany as aheavy equipment Operator.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 35

Kudos to Train Operator RobertLipens, who engineered TrainOperator of the Quarter honors forthefirst quarter of 1992. Lipens beganhis career with the District in April of1957. He was assigned to Division 10where he remained until 1968 whenhe transferred to Division 18. Later,he transferred to Division 9. In Aprilof] 990, Lipens was chosen to becomea member of the second TrainOperator trainingclass. He has beenmarried for 33 years, and lives withhis wife and three children in LaPuente. His hobbies include restoringold cars, water skiing and ridingmotorcycles. He has not had anavoidable accident in over elevenyears.

Transit Police Operator of theQuarter goes to Joseph Rauchfuss,who has consistently displayedleadership qualities in his daily fieldfunctions and as the Acting WatchCommander. Transit Police OfficerRauchfuss has consistentlydemonstrated a sincere desire toprovide the patrons and operators ofthe District with the best possiblepublic service. Officer Rauchfuss canalways be counted on to handle anyfield situation with little or, in mostcases, no supervision. Once o thescene, he quickly takes charge andassesses the situation to determinewhat action, ifany, needs to be taken.He exercises a "Dedication toExcellence" in attitude, compassionand support to the task of transitpolicing.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 36

Congratulations to Luis Medrana,whohas beenselectedSecurity Officerof the Ouarter. His selection wasbased on his demonstrated dedicationto the District. His supervisors statedhe is seif-confident, enthusiastic andis always willing to make a decision.He understands his role to the Districtand continually supports hissupervisors.

Presenting Sandra Woods, theInformation Operator of the Monthfor Apri11992. With the District threeyears, Woods performs supervisorwork and maintains an impeccableattendance record. She says that beinga people-person makes her job soeasy. "I enjoy making the public feelcomfortable riding the bus. And thatis exactly what she does, says hersupervisors, and with style! Woodsspends her spare time gardening andbeing in the clean mountainairwhereshe lives. She recently became a newgrandmother, with the birth ofa newbaby girl.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 37

Risk Management 's Employee of the Third Quarter is shared by Jon Vandercook and George Echert. Both worked 40hour weekends, according to boss Barbara Anderson, in the preparation of the budget for the next fiscal year.Vandercook, with the District for three years, is a safety specialist. He is the department 's efficiency coordinator, whichmeans he makes sure that the department utilizes its physical space in the most productive way possible. For example,he makes certain that book shelves are added ifan area becomes stackedwith books, and insures that cubicles have insertsif they're needed. He also produced a new workers comp cost trend analysis for the third quarter of the year. A Gardenaresident, Vandercook holds the District 's current record for donating blood to the Red Cross -- a whopping 48 pints.

Congratulations to a good samaritan and an all-aro und nice guy.His colleague, George Echert, an administrative analyst, was the key player in the department 's budget process, actingas a liaison between the different sections and OMB. He also put in a tremendous amount of time perfecting the pay forperformance appraisals that will be given to employees in the coming weeks.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 38

Forrest Miller captured Employee of the Quarter honors in the Human Resources Department for his fabulousperformance in the preparation of the budget and in design and development of the medical information system. AHuntington Beach resident, Miller is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves, and heads up his own unit atthe Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Miller is anacting senior human resources analyst, and as such, supervisors the Special Projects section ofthatdepartment. lt meansthe computer whiz oversees the drug testing program, the Headway, the Dependent Care program, the Special Assistantand Indefinite Leave Programs -- quite a smorgasbord of complex projects. Says his boss Al Rice, "Forrest smothershot fires constantly."

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 39

I 1 4— ( 71/

I Summer Self-Care for Children 1

Wtho cares for America'sschool-age children duringhe summer?

• Their mothers? No, about 70 per-cent are employed outside their homes,according to Michelle Seligson, Directorof the School-Age Child Care Project atWellesley College.

• Neighbors or family members?Sony, they're at work, too.

• Schools? Summer care is rare.• Camps, rec programs, YM and

YWCAs? Programs usually do not coverlong days over the entire summer.

• Slightly older brothers and sisters?Or the child alone? Yes! Estimates ofhow many young children care for them-selves, or for each other, are 15 million,according to the U.S. Census Bureau; it'sactually 7 million or more, claims theChildren's Defense Fund.

In today's "Home Alone" scenario,latch-key children warm up frozendinners in the microwave, dial thephone, and veg out on TV. Emergency

rooms and seif-care hotlines are floodedwith calls from injured or frightenedchildren. Seligson notes that toy manu-facturers, junk food companies, and evenportable remote-control panic buttonmakers rely on this vulnerable market.

When children are left to their owndevices, they tend to do less well inschool, have fewer friends, and maynever leam how to succeed, observesSeligson. Her bottom line is: "Untilthey're 11 or 12, most kids simply don'tpossess the intellectual capacity toemploy standard principles of logic."Families who care for their young chil-dren would be well advised to find aresponsible caregiver. The peace of mindis well worth the price.

SeeCare Basics

Families who believe their older childrenare mature enough to care for them-selves, and who live in relatively safeneighborhoods, are encouraged to follow

these guidelines to help children manageseif-care:

• Agree on ground rules. Compile a listof acceptable behaviors, indoors and out.Keep expectationsbigh but reasonable.Establish who's in harge with youngerchildren.

• Help children stay busy. Ask childrento loosely plan their weekly schedule ofinteresting activities and household tasks.Visit the library often to choose newbooks and recordings. Choose a few TVshows or videos in advance. Help chil-dren organize engaging projects such aswriting and producing their own puppetshows, staging neighborhood circuses,arranging an exhibits, planning skatingrodeos. Continue music lessons, sportsevents, and other opportunities to playwith friends and exercise the body andbrain.

• Stock nutritious food. Plan kid-pleasing, healthy menus together, askchildren to fix their own food and cleanup their mess. Work out a neighborhoodsnack policy. Provide small change for aonce-a-week ice cream truck stop.

• Emphasize safety. Demonstrate firstaid techniques. Teach proper applianceusage. Rehearse safety procedures. Postemergency numbers. Practice handlingwhat to do when there's a knock at thedoor, a stranger on the phone, an offer ofa ride.

• Enlist a responsible adult. Find anearby friend or relative who can be "oncall" to answer routine telephone ques-tions. Instruct children to call workingparents only when necessary.

• Get away. Take weekend trips toescape the daily gtind. Sign children upfor a week or two of day camp, religiousschool, sports camp, or summer schoolto break the monotony.

• Compliment maturity. Talk withchildren about their day. Listen well.Demonstrate pride in their growing senseof responsibility.

Children take a giant leap toward inde-pendence when they take care of them-selves. Families support children's auto-nomy by trusting them to make wisedecisions when they're home alone.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 40

Crime at Work:Ways to Prevent Petty Theft

Fitting right in on the job. That's one of the latest—and mostsuccessful—ploys of criminals. Thieves may act and dress like trusted

employees, clients, or service personnel. They strike quickly during work-ing hours and disappear. In busy work environments, their unassumingpresence can go unnoticed even by security guards.

The bounty taken by these professional thieves usually ranges from afew dollars to a few pieces of office equipment. Their toll on staff morale,however, can be high. Victims report feeling personally violated, eventhough they never glimpsed the perpetrator's face.

Occasional violent crimes—committed in typically safe havens such asoffices, schools, and restaurants—grab the headlines and may temporarilyalert people to danger. Criminals, who erupt suddenly as a result of men-tal instability or drug usage, are fortunately rare.

Americans generally trust people, so even after hearing about themost horrendous crimes, it's easy to fall back into complacency aboutroutine commutes and daily working-hours security. Taking these sensi-ble precautions can contribute to a safer, more secure workingenvironment.

• Enlarge the circle of acquaintances. A stranger's face is more likelyto stand out when managers, colleagues, vendors, service workers, andsales reps know each other. Ask visitors questions such as, "Who can Ihelp you find?" Report suspicious people to security.

• Protect valuables. Avoid calling attention to one's self on the way towork by wearing flashy jewelry or peeling subway fare from a roll of bilis.Wear a wallet, rather than keeping it in a suit jacket draped over a chairor in a briefcase or handbag. Record serial numbers. Store cameras, lap-top computers, Sports gear, and other high-tech equipment out of sightand locked up when not in use.

• Keep good company. Trust your instincts. Get off the elevator if apassenger creates discomfort. Advise a supervisor or the human resourcesdivision about an unstable colleague. Especially during off-hours, avoidstair wells, empty parking lots, dimly lit areas, and unlocked restrooms.Petty thieves can often be stopped in their tracks when employees stayaware and alert to criminals' tricks!

A thirsty employee slipsexact change from herwallet and dashes forthe soda machine. Later,when she reaches forher car keys, she dis-covers her wallet ismissing. No one noticedanyt hing suspicious.

"Gee, there's anot herdelivery," a worker sub-consciously observes asa uniformed personstrides past. That after-noon, a colleague asksaround to find whoborrowed his hand-heldcalculator.

Assistance for victims

1. Report any crime or action against you to police and building security.2. If assaulted, seek medical attention. If injured, apply for workers' compensation.3. Seek information from the National Victim Center (817 -877-3355) or the National Organization for

Victim Assistance (202-232-6682) or its 24-hour hotline (800-879-6682).

MAY 1 992 HEADWAY 41

A National Guardsman rests on the bumper of an RTD bus after a weary night.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 42

Inside Division 5, RTD Transit Police Chief Sharon Papa, Board PresidentMarvin Holen, and General Manager AlanPegg are given an up-to-the-minute status report.

RTD Transit Police, National Guardsmen and LAPD Officers work together to restore peace.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 43

Southern CaliforniaRapid Transit District425 So. Main St., 2nd FloorLos Angeles, CA 90013

Bulk RateU.S. Postage

PaidLos Angeles, Ca.Permit No. 32705

As chaos reigns on the outside, RTD General Manager Alan Peggand Board President Marvin Holen discuss the orderly transfor-mation of Division 5 as the key law enforcement Command Post.

44,r, e

In Los Angeles, President Bushthanks authorities, including RTDTransit Police, for restoring calm.

MAY 1992 HEADWAY 44