The Employee Newsletter of SunLine Transit Agency April / May / June 2012 • Volume 22 Issue 2

MESSAGE FROM THE GM On May 1st we celebrated the Agency’s thirty five years of providing public transportation to the Coachella Valley. The keynote speaker of the event, Leslie Rogers, Region 9 Administrator for

the Federal Transportation Administration, congratulated all SunLine staff for the dedication and commitment to public transit, recognizing the many milestones not only as the provider of public transit, but as a leader in alternate fuel technology. Throughout the 35 years, the accomplishments of this Agency could not have been obtained without a strong base of dedicated employees. At our 35th anniversary event, we recognized nine employees who have given 25 years, or more, of service to the Agency as well as to the residents and visitors of this Valley. I salute you for your dedication. They are: Gilberto Cortez, Emma Lopez, Emilio Williams, Theresa Saxton, Harry Marder, Robert Beigie, Gerald Hebb, Michael Cohen, and Richard Samuels. And to all employees who have worked for the Agency throughout the years and to those who have just begun their road on our path, I thank you for your continued hard work. As we move forward, our future vision and goals are endless as we continue down the road to further enhance public transit, with the focus of keeping our Valley green! Speaking of dedication, within the last few months, we have said goodbye to two hard working employees who have been with the Agency for over 20 years – Rudy Perez and Frank Shardy. They are now traveling down a new path and we wish them well in retirement! Congratulations to the “Employee of the Quarter” award winners for the 1st quarter of 2012, January through March. The winners are as follows:

See “GM” page 6

6

DATES TO REMEMBER NO SAFETY MEETINGS IN JULY & SEPTEMBER

Sep 2 Service Changes effective Sep 3 Labor Day - Admin offices closed Sep 10 Commuter Link 220 to Riverside begins

The most current event list is available on SunLine’s monthly calendar posting including Employee anniversaries.

GM, continued from page 1

Monica Dennis of the Operations Dept., Antonio Greer of the Maintenance Department and Jeff Bergen of the Administration Dept. Todd McDaniel of the Operations Dept. was presented with the “Supervisor of the Quarter” award. If you see an employee going beyond the call of duty, submit an application to the Human Resources Department. Over the past three months, employees once again celebrated diversity, focused on safety and continued to learn about a healthy lifestyle! The events included food contests, a safety poster contest, as well as the quarterly safety grab bag, and the healthy lifestyle program contest. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with great food and entertainment by our talented employees. In June, we held our annual National Safety Month BBQ, acknowledging the Agency’s commitment to safety. Again, we celebrated with great food and a safety poster contest. In addition, we held the 1st Quarter Safety Bag Grab. Our Healthy Lifestyles program continues to grow with new employees joining each session. The program participants continue to add new activities to stay fit! For more information, contact the Human Resources Dept. Let me congratulate all the winners of these events and thanks to all who participated! With all being said, we have celebrated so much over the past three months! Most importantly, we all came to together in moving forward with a new M.O.U. We are a team and we can all look forward to a bright future!

(May 1, 2012) SunLine Transit Agency's 35th anniversary celebration was held at the Thousand Palms facility. Pictured here (l-r) with the keynote speaker Leslie Rogers (Region 9 Administrator Federal Transportation

Administration); the four most tenured employees: Robert Beigie, Gerald Hebb, Richard Samuels and Michael Cohen; Eduardo Garcia (Board

Chairman) and C. Mikel Oglesby (General Manager).

See more on page 6

SunLine recognized four employees for outstanding job performance at the April Board meeting. (l-r) Antonio Greer, Todd McDaniel, Monica Dennis, Jeff Bergen, General Manager C. Mikel Oglesby and Board Chairman Eduardo Garcia.

SunLine Transit Agency is moving into the future with a state-of-the-art administrative building and transit hub to accommodate new technologies in

transportation and a commitment to green energy. Groundbreaking is expected in the Fall.

2 5

CINCO DE MAYO CONTEST WINNERS Chile Rellenos: Patricia Arellano

Salsa: 1st Place Claudia Lopez 2nd Place Liz Lira 3rd Place Betty Ceballos

Guacamole: 1st Place Rosa Hernandez 2nd Place Betty Ceballos 3rd Place Ivanna Samokish

NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH BBQ Cake Contest: Jim Rayl Poster Contest winners:

1st Place Mickel Garcia

2nd Place Joe Gomez

3rd Place Jim Rayl

RETIREMENT!

In June, Rudy Perez retired with over 21 years of service.

CONGRATULATIONS RUDY!

In August, Frank Shardy retired with 20+ years of service.

CONGRATULATIONS FRANK!

NEW EMPLOYEES Diego Rojo Alt Fuels

Jesus Trejo Maintenance

Mirko Fischer Operations

Armando Coronado Operations

Sylvin Busano Operations

Daryn Lavoie Operations

David Murillo Operations

Linda Rico Operations

1st QUARTER SAFETY BAG GRAB Frank Shardy and Javier Salazar each pulled a nice $50.00. Esther Canamar pulled $75.00. Bill Loper cleaned up with $150.00. The winner of Mr. Oglesby’s $100.00 cash drawing, Betty Ceballos!

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES SESSION 1 FINISHED WITH FINESSE

TEAM 2 WINNERS! Persistence proved to be the winning attitude. (l-r) Polo Del Toro, Victor Duran, Betty Cebellos (also Top Point Getter!), Norma Stevens, Manny Garcia. (inset) Debbie Woods & Mike Morrow

Weight-No-More 1st Place - Maria Payne Co/ 1st Place - Patricia Arellano 2nd Place - Polo Del Toro 3rd Place - Ron Garcia (pictured)

ERF UPDATE The Employee Relief Fund third drawing was held on June 22, 2012. The event took place at 12:30 P.M. in the Boardroom. The ERF event raised $530 in profit! We should take pride in knowing that SunLine Transit Agency employees embody the spirit of giving through their generosity. It is through this generosity that the Employee Relief Fund exists.

Paul Harvey Francisco Guerrero refurbished Huffy $300 Auto Detail “Avenue” Bike

Lisa Rosales won the 32” Dynex flat screen TV What’s Next for the ERF? The Employee Relief Fund will hold its First Annual Golf Tournament on September 29, 2012 at the Golf Club at Terra Lago in Indio. Registration begins July 23, 2012. Additional information will be available soon. Questions? Want to volunteer? Contact any Employee Relief Fund committee member.

Norma Stevens- Chairperson

John Davis – Co-Chairperson

Steve Huizar – Secretary

Eva Montoya – Treasurer

Elliew Silva – Committee Member

Diane Penry _ Committee Member

Victor Duran – Committee Member

“MOM’S CLUB” PRE-SCHOOL TOUR

APRIL EMPLOYEE BOWLING NEW OPERATORS GRADUATE

TAXI GOES PAPERLESS The Taxi Department has worked diligently to reduce, reuse and recycle. It is our pleasure to announce that as of June 21, 2012 we have gone paperless! Our faxes now go to a folder in the Common drive. Our permitting process is done electronically with electronic signatures and files saved for each driver (with backups of course). Our invoices are sent via e-mail to each franchise while our inspection sheets are created from an electronic file in which a copy is sent to each franchise. This has been a collaborative effort with the Taxi Department and IT Department. We hope to continue to do our part to help the environment.

PROCUREMENT Q & A QUESTION: I am confused. When do I need a Check Request and when do I need a Purchase Requisition?

ANSWER: Check Requests are primarily used for medical, legal & insurance expenses, payroll, petty cash & travel, utility payments, postage, temporary help, conferences and subscription renewals. A properly completed Check Request Form includes the department directors' approval, company name, items needed, exact costs (including all taxes, freight charges and any other fees), person contacted, date of delivery, department name, and account number.

All other products or services will require the requesting department to fill out a Purchase Requisition. This form starts the procurement process after all the approval levels have been met.

If you have questions, contact Rick Barone @ ext. 334.

4 3

PS AIRPORT EMERGENCY EXERCISE The Palm Springs Airport conducts a "mock up" plane crash tragedy each year and uses this "exercise" to keep their response procedures sharp. They

also do "after action" reports to analyze any weak spots and address them. This year they asked SunLine for 2 buses to use as a "fuselage". They had actors that were in varied degrees of injury. The actors were in full makeup with missing limbs and major injuries. Many city/county agencies participate in the exercise. SunLine was happy to assist in this valuable exercise.

POLO’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

On June 13, Polo Del Toro, Director of Operations, was given a surprise recognition for his 20 years of service to SunLine.

PASSENGER APPRECIATION LETTER My wife and I have recently returned to England after spending a wonderful four weeks in Palm Springs. The highlights were the Follies, the River at Rancho Mirage and the new gallery / museum at Desert Crossing. Also high on the list were your drivers who were so helpful to a couple of semi-lost Brits. There was no rush or bustle getting off, for which my wife was most grateful as she recently had a knee replacement operation.

We thought the 31 day senior pass was a great value.

Thank you once again.

Tony Delaney

The “Mom’s Club” is an international organization consisting of the mothers of pre-school children. The majority of the “Moms” are homemakers who do not work outside the home. The organization was created to give their children an opportunity to socialize with other children their age and for the Moms to compare notes on raising children. The Moms have expanded the groups goals to include learning opportunities for their children. The club likes to take the kids on field trips, such as this one to our Agency. All of the Moms and kids were impressed with how our operation works and what goes into making the buses run on a daily basis. They particularly liked the ride on FC3. They enjoyed learning about hydrogen-powered vehicles.

They wanted to express their thanks to everyone they met on the tour. The employees they didn’t meet, they wish to express their thanks for the hard work that goes into providing transportation to the Coachella Valley.

ERF UPDATE The Employee Relief Fund held its third drawing on June 22, 2012. The event took place at 12:30 P.M. in the Boardroom. The ERF raised $530 in profit! We should take pride in knowing that SunLine Transit Agency employees embody the spirit of giving through their generosity. It is through this generosity that the Employee Relief Fund exists.

Paul Harvey Francisco Guerrero refurbished Huffy $300 Auto Detail “Avenue” Bike

Lisa Rosales won the 32” Dynex flat screen TV What’s Next for the ERF? The Employee Relief Fund will hold its First Annual Golf Tournament on September 29, 2012 at the Golf Club at Terra Lago in Indio. Registration begins July 23, 2012. Additional information will be available soon. Questions? Want to volunteer? Contact any Employee Relief Fund committee member.

Norma Stevens- Chairperson

John Davis – Co-Chairperson

Steve Huizar – Secretary

Eva Montoya – Treasurer

Elliew Silva – Committee Member

Diane Penry _ Committee Member

Victor Duran – Committee Member

“MOM’S CLUB” PRE-SCHOOL TOUR

APRIL EMPLOYEE BOWLING NEW OPERATORS GRADUATE

TAXI GOES PAPERLESS The Taxi Department has worked diligently to reduce, reuse and recycle. It is our pleasure to announce that as of June 21, 2012 we have gone paperless! Our faxes now go to a folder in the Common drive. Our permitting process is done electronically with electronic signatures and files saved for each driver (with backups of course). Our invoices are sent via e-mail to each franchise while our inspection sheets are created from an electronic file in which a copy is sent to each franchise. This has been a collaborative effort with the Taxi Department and IT Department. We hope to continue to do our part to help the environment.

PROCUREMENT Q & A QUESTION: I am confused. When do I need a Check Request and when do I need a Purchase Requisition?

ANSWER: Check Requests are primarily used for medical, legal & insurance expenses, payroll, petty cash & travel, utility payments, postage, temporary help, conferences and subscription renewals. A properly completed Check Request Form includes the department directors' approval, company name, items needed, exact costs (including all taxes, freight charges and any other fees), person contacted, date of delivery, department name, and account number.

All other products or services will require the requesting department to fill out a Purchase Requisition. This form starts the procurement process after all the approval levels have been met.

If you have questions, contact Rick Barone @ ext. 334.

4 3

PS AIRPORT EMERGENCY EXERCISE The Palm Springs Airport conducts a "mock up" plane crash tragedy each year and uses this "exercise" to keep their response procedures sharp. They

also do "after action" reports to analyze any weak spots and address them. This year they asked SunLine for 2 buses to use as a "fuselage". They had actors that were in varied degrees of injury. The actors were in full makeup with missing limbs and major injuries. Many city/county agencies participate in the exercise. SunLine was happy to assist in this valuable exercise.

POLO’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

On June 13, Polo Del Toro, Director of Operations, was given a surprise recognition for his 20 years of service to SunLine.

PASSENGER APPRECIATION LETTER My wife and I have recently returned to England after spending a wonderful four weeks in Palm Springs. The highlights were the Follies, the River at Rancho Mirage and the new gallery / museum at Desert Crossing. Also high on the list were your drivers who were so helpful to a couple of semi-lost Brits. There was no rush or bustle getting off, for which my wife was most grateful as she recently had a knee replacement operation.

We thought the 31 day senior pass was a great value.

Thank you once again.

Tony Delaney

The “Mom’s Club” is an international organization consisting of the mothers of pre-school children. The majority of the “Moms” are homemakers who do not work outside the home. The organization was created to give their children an opportunity to socialize with other children their age and for the Moms to compare notes on raising children. The Moms have expanded the groups goals to include learning opportunities for their children. The club likes to take the kids on field trips, such as this one to our Agency. All of the Moms and kids were impressed with how our operation works and what goes into making the buses run on a daily basis. They particularly liked the ride on FC3. They enjoyed learning about hydrogen-powered vehicles.

They wanted to express their thanks to everyone they met on the tour. The employees they didn’t meet, they wish to express their thanks for the hard work that goes into providing transportation to the Coachella Valley.

2 5

CINCO DE MAYO CONTEST WINNERS Chile Rellenos: Patricia Arellano

Salsa: 1st Place Claudia Lopez 2nd Place Liz Lira 3rd Place Betty Ceballos

Guacamole: 1st Place Rosa Hernandez 2nd Place Betty Ceballos 3rd Place Ivanna Samokish

NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH BBQ Cake Contest: Jim Rayl Poster Contest winners:

1st Place Mickel Garcia

2nd Place Joe Gomez

3rd Place Jim Rayl

RETIREMENT!

In June, Rudy Perez retired with over 21 years of service.

CONGRATULATIONS RUDY!

In August, Frank Shardy retired with 20+ years of service.

CONGRATULATIONS FRANK!

NEW EMPLOYEES Diego Rojo Alt Fuels

Jesus Trejo Maintenance

Mirko Fischer Operations

Armando Coronado Operations

Sylvin Busano Operations

Daryn Lavoie Operations

David Murillo Operations

Linda Rico Operations

1st QUARTER SAFETY BAG GRAB Frank Shardy and Javier Salazar each pulled a nice $50.00. Esther Canamar pulled $75.00. Bill Loper cleaned up with $150.00. The winner of Mr. Oglesby’s $100.00 cash drawing, Betty Ceballos!

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES SESSION 1 FINISHED WITH FINESSE

TEAM 2 WINNERS! Persistence proved to be the winning attitude. (l-r) Polo Del Toro, Victor Duran, Betty Cebellos (also Top Point Getter!), Norma Stevens, Manny Garcia. (inset) Debbie Woods & Mike Morrow

Weight-No-More 1st Place - Maria Payne Co/ 1st Place - Patricia Arellano 2nd Place - Polo Del Toro 3rd Place - Ron Garcia (pictured)

The Employee Newsletter of SunLine Transit Agency April / May / June 2012 • Volume 22 Issue 2

MESSAGE FROM THE GM On May 1st we celebrated the Agency’s thirty five years of providing public transportation to the Coachella Valley. The keynote speaker of the event, Leslie Rogers, Region 9 Administrator for

the Federal Transportation Administration, congratulated all SunLine staff for the dedication and commitment to public transit, recognizing the many milestones not only as the provider of public transit, but as a leader in alternate fuel technology. Throughout the 35 years, the accomplishments of this Agency could not have been obtained without a strong base of dedicated employees. At our 35th anniversary event, we recognized nine employees who have given 25 years, or more, of service to the Agency as well as to the residents and visitors of this Valley. I salute you for your dedication. They are: Gilberto Cortez, Emma Lopez, Emilio Williams, Theresa Saxton, Harry Marder, Robert Beigie, Gerald Hebb, Michael Cohen, and Richard Samuels. And to all employees who have worked for the Agency throughout the years and to those who have just begun their road on our path, I thank you for your continued hard work. As we move forward, our future vision and goals are endless as we continue down the road to further enhance public transit, with the focus of keeping our Valley green! Speaking of dedication, within the last few months, we have said goodbye to two hard working employees who have been with the Agency for over 20 years – Rudy Perez and Frank Shardy. They are now traveling down a new path and we wish them well in retirement! Congratulations to the “Employee of the Quarter” award winners for the 1st quarter of 2012, January through March. The winners are as follows:

See “GM” page 4

6

DATES TO REMEMBER NO SAFETY MEETINGS IN JULY & SEPTEMBER

Sep 2 Service Changes effective Sep 3 Labor Day - Admin offices closed Sep 10 Commuter Link 220 to Riverside begins

The most current event list is available on SunLine’s monthly calendar posting including Employee anniversaries.

GM, continued from page 1

Monica Dennis of the Operations Dept., Antonio Greer of the Maintenance Department and Jeff Bergen of the Administration Dept. Todd McDaniel of the Operations Dept. was presented with the “Supervisor of the Quarter” award. If you see an employee going beyond the call of duty, submit an application to the Human Resources Department. Over the past three months, employees once again celebrated diversity, focused on safety and continued to learn about a healthy lifestyle! The events included food contests, a safety poster contest, as well as the quarterly safety grab bag, and the healthy lifestyle program contest. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with great food and entertainment by our talented employees. In June, we held our annual National Safety Month BBQ, acknowledging the Agency’s commitment to safety. Again, we celebrated with great food and a safety poster contest. In addition, we held the 1st Quarter Safety Bag Grab. Our Healthy Lifestyles program continues to grow with new employees joining each session. The program participants continue to add new activities to stay fit! For more information, contact the Human Resources Dept. Let me congratulate all the winners of these events and thanks to all who participated! With all being said, we have celebrated so much over the past three months! Most importantly, we all came to together in moving forward with a new M.O.U. We are a team and we can all look forward to a bright future!

(May 1, 2012) SunLine Transit Agency's 35th anniversary celebration was held at the Thousand Palms facility. Pictured here (l-r) with the keynote speaker Leslie Rogers (Region 9 Administrator Federal Transportation

Administration); the four most tenured employees: Robert Beigie, Gerald Hebb, Richard Samuels and Michael Cohen; Eduardo Garcia (Board

Chairman) and C. Mikel Oglesby (General Manager).

See more on page 4

SunLine recognized four employees for outstanding job performance at the April Board meeting. (l-r) Antonio Greer, Todd McDaniel, Monica Dennis, Jeff Bergen, General Manager C. Mikel Oglesby and Board Chairman Eduardo Garcia.

SunLine Transit Agency is moving into the future with a state-of-the-art administrative building and transit hub to accommodate new technologies in

transportation and a commitment to green energy. Groundbreaking is expected in the Fall.