Post by bennyp81 on Jun 15, 2005 13:45:26 GMT -8
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Apr 23rd 8:30 AM
Palo Alto Daily News: Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Broken weld delays Caltrain commutes
A broken weld connecting two Caltrain tracks caused a 35-minute delay for some trains yester-day just as the morning commute was beginning.
Before 5 a.m., the system detected a problem and a Caltrain inspector discovered the broken weld, Caltrain spokeswoman Janet McGovern said.
Trains were diverted around the area, sharing a single track while workmen replaced a section of track. The broken piece near Scott Street in San Bruno was about 30 years old, McGovern said.
Three northbound trains were delayed from 17 to 35 minutes, while two southbound trains were each delayed about six minutes.
"Considering it was during the morning commute, it could have been much worse," McGovern said.
The cause of the problem isn't known, and Caltrain officials said they are investigating.
Þ--Þ--Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Apr 29th 8:27 AM
San Mateo Daily Journal: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Accused Caltrain thief faces embezzlement charges
By Andrew Becker
Daily Journal
A former Caltrain ticket vending machine mainten-ance man accused of stealing $118,214 from the automated dispensers along the train corridor will
stand trial for grand theft and embezzlement, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled yesterday.
Layton Eastridge, 37, of Windsor, Calif., has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including a special allegation he destroyed property during
the crime. He was arrested by San Mateo County Sheriff's Office detectives Dec. 10 at his home in Windsor after a three-month investigation.
He is being held at San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $150,000. If convicted, he faces a maximum of four years in prison.
Although Eastridge admitted he stole at least $50,000 when detectives searched him last Novem-ber, his attorney is arguing that Caltrain's esti-
mates on the amount of money taken are way off.
Caltrain treasury manager Carol Lawson, who testi-fied yesterday at a preliminary hearing, said the dollar value is probably underestimated as com-puter tracking of money collected is updated once a day.
Eastridge worked for Petaluma-based VenTek International, Inc., which designed, installed and maintains the fare collection and ticket
dispensing devices at the 34 stations along the Caltrain line from San Francisco to Gilroy.
VenTek technicians are not permitted to have
any contact with money or the bill vaults that are collected by Dunbar security company.
When detectives executed a search warrant Nov. 12 at VenTek and at Eastridge's home, they found keys
police said Eastridge used to gain access to the bill vaults. They also seized major appliances, tools, a high-definition television and other items thought to be purchased with the stolen money. Eastridge allegedly told police that he took the money because he felt he was being cheated by VenTek and he was underappreciated.
He had also accumulated debt, testified witness Frank Taylor, who was one of the detectives who investigated the theft. Eastridge told police he took about $1,500 a month, which he used to buy food, gas and a trip for his sister and her family from the East Coast to California.
Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher also sought to establish that Eastridge used a laptop computer to reset a the vending machines'
money tracking system.
Caltrain officials first noticed there was missing money in Sept. 2001, but didn't conduct a full-blown investigation until July 2002
when they contacted police. Lloyd Handler, Eastridge's attorney, questioned why it took Caltrain so long to initiate the investigation.
He also said that there was corruption in the team of technicians that Eastridge managed and that the suspect is taking the blame. Handler also said Caltrain may have its own problems with
record keeping.
Lawson testified that Caltrain became suspicious when auditors noticed a large number of shutdowns of the vending machines computer and corre-sponding money missing.
She said it is not necessary to shut down the machine to repair them. Caltrain believes East-ridge stole money on at least 106 occasions.
Although other technicians had shutdown the machines, there was no corresponding losses with those shutdowns.
Eastridge is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on May 8.
Andrew Becker's e-mail: andrew@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com
Þ--Þ--Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Apr 29th 9:10 AM
San Mateo County Times: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Accused Caltrain fare robber charged; Employee tells police he took money because his company didn't appreciate him
By Christine Louie
Staff Writer
REDWOOD CITY -- A man accused of stealing more than $118,000 from Caltrain ticket-vending machines told police he did it because he felt he
was being cheated by his company.
Layton Hughes Eastridge, 37, admitted he took about $1,500 a week for a year beginning in September 2001, according to Frank Taylor, a
former sheriff's detective who testified at Eastridge's preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Eastridge, a maintenance man for VenTek Internat-ional, is accused of stealing money from 110 Cal-train ticket machines from San Francisco to
Gilroy. He has been charged with felony grand theft and a special allegation that he damaged or destroyed property while committing theft. If convicted, Eastridge could spend up to four years in prison.
Carol Lawson, Caltrain treasury manager, testified Tuesday that she became alarmed in July 2002 after an audit revealed a discrepancy
between the amount of money reported on the machines and the actual total collected.
Caltrain began investigating the number of "shut-downs" each machine reported, and compared it with
the number of times Eastridge shut down his mach-ines, Lawson said. Of the 156 times Eastridge shut
down the machines during the one-year period, 106 of those incidents involved money loss, she said.
Lawson testified that other maintenance workers also shut down their ticket machines during the one-year period when losses were reported.
But, she said later, none of the shut-downs by other workers were linked to any monetary losses.
Taylor, the former sheriff's detective, testified that Eastridge told him in November that he spent the money on food, gas and a trip to bring his sister and family to California. Eastridge, of Windsor, estimated to authorities that he stole about $50,000 during the time period.
During the police interview, Eastridge also said he didn't feel appreciated by VenTek, a Petaluma-based company Caltrain pays to operate and maintain its ticket machines, Taylor said.
Eastridge told officials he used a special cable and software with a company laptop to alter the accounting system within the machine's internal bill vaults, Taylor testified. After lowering the fare-collection display amount, Eastridge would remove the money, he said.
But that strategy became "very time-consuming," Taylor said, and Eastridge told authorities he would simply remove the bill vault, take the cash, and put in an empty vault after shutting down the machine.
During cross-examination, Taylor said he never recalled seeing any records showing who would be issued VenTek property, like maintenance keys. Such keys were needed to access the ticketing machines.
Defense attorney Lloyd Handler said outside the courtroom that the amount Eastridge estimated taking was much less than what he is accused of stealing, suggesting that others who had access to the maintenance keys could also have played some part in the thefts.
Judge Barbara Mallach ruled after the hearing there is enough probable cause to hold Eastridge to answer to the felony charges. Mallach also refused to reduce his $150,000 bail. Eastridge returns to court for arraignment on May 8.
Staff writer Christine Louie covers the courts. She can be reached at 650-306-2425 or by e-mail at clouie@angnewspapers.com
Þ--Þ--Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 8:39 PM
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Windsor man faces trial on theft charge
By Randi Rossmann
Staff Writer
A Petaluma security company employee accused of using insider knowledge to steal $120,000 from a San Mateo County public transit agency must stand trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Layton Eastridge, 37, of Windsor told detectives he took the money because he was angry with the size of his paycheck from his employer, VenTek International (www.ventek-intl.com).
Eastridge, however, contends that he took only about $50,000 -- less than half the amount the transit agency said was stolen, defense attorney Lloyd Handler said.
After a two-hour hearing in San Mateo Superior Court, Judge Barbara Mallach ordered Eastridge held for trial on grand theft and related charges.
Eastridge was a senior technician for VenTek, which provides security and maintenance for electronic ticket vending machines for the San Mateo County Transit District.
The machines dispense tickets for Caltrain, the peninsula's commuter-rail service, and Samtrans buses.
Prosecutors contend that from September 2001 to September 2002, Eastridge frequently traveled to the South Bay, supposedly to conduct maintenance on the vending machines. Instead, prosecutor Sean
Gallagher said, he used a laptop computer to get into the security system and change tabulations of how much money had been deposited that week.
He would take about $1,500 per trip, Gallagher said.
Eastridge carefully covered the thefts for awhile through computer system alterations. But after some months he stopped and it became obvious to the agency that money was missing, Gallagher said.
Samtrans employee Carol Lawson testified that she traced the thefts to when Eastridge had shut down the machines for repairs.
A San Mateo County sheriff's detective told the judge that Eastridge confessed when he was confronted at his Windsor home in December.
"He said he had been angry at the company, felt like they hadn't paid him what he was worth. He said he had debt problems," Gallagher said.
Eastridge told authorities that he used the cash to pay bills. He also pointed out items through-out his home he had bought with the money,
including a computer, television and appliances, Gallagher said.
Handler said Eastridge will take responsibility for the amount he took, but shouldn't be punished for the entire loss.
Handler said he will argue in trial that the security system on the machines was so lax that it is possible other people may have been
involved.
Eastridge has no criminal history. If convicted he could face four years in state prison.
He has been held in San Mateo County Jail since his arrest in December. Bail is $150,000.
His trial is expected to begin early this summer.
A call to VenTek wasn't returned.
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5249 or rrossman@pressdemocrat.com.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 8:44 PM
Caltrain Release: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Caltrain's Lawrence Station to Move April 28
Caltrain's Lawrence Station in Sunnyvale will move approximately 250 feet south beginning Monday, April 28, to facilitate construction
and station improvements.
The temporary move will shift the station immediately south of the pedestrian overpass at Lawrence Station, which is located beneath
Lawrence Expressway, at San Zeno Way and Lawrence Station Road.
A new parking area has been created at the end of Lawrence Station Road, south of the current lot.
Bike lockers next to the southbound tracks will be near the new parking area, and lockers next to the northbound tracks will be near the freeway overpass.
All other station amenities will be in their new locations by April 28 except for ticket vending machines, which will be relocated in early May.
The temporary relocation of the station is necessary because of the CTX construction project,
which includes adding two tracks through the station area, and reconstructing the Lawrence station, making it more accessible to passengers with disabilities. The work at Lawrence is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Construction crews will attempt to keep disruption
to a minimum. For more information or questions, call the CTX construction information line at 650.624.2705.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 9:54 PM
Menlo Park Almanac: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Letters to the Editor: Another idea for Caltrain grade-crossings
No, the quick and most powerful public trans-portation facility we have, Caltrain, should not be taken from the center of many of the towns through which it now runs.
If some friends in Atherton do not like it, Caltrain may close their station. [BATN: See groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/11561 ]
It is a very favorable situation that many of the people living here can walk to the train station and many others have only a short drive.
Elevating the rails by 10 or more feet would divide many of the towns into two parts that could not even look at each other.
Instead, the whole line should be lowered by about 20 feet into a kind of broad ditch with inclined walls on both sides, covered by trees and shrubs, so all streets could cross it at the present grade level.
The noise of the trains would be greatly reduced and our friends in Atherton would hardly hear and not see the trains, and the passengers on the trains would not see the houses of Atherton.
We could find ways to avoid flooding and yes, it would be much more expensive but it would be a good and permanent solution.
Many changes desired at a later time -- such as a few more street crossings -- would be cheaper and would be more comfortable and beautiful.
At present, the towns, counties and the state do not have enough money to do the job. They should not spend money now for an interim (and undesirable) solution.
Placing the railroad 10 feet up and 10 feet down would make the future (and desirable) solution much more expensive. Is the need to do away with today's level grade-crossings really that urgent?
In the 1920's, when the people in Berlin, Germany wanted to extend their intra-urban railroad to suburbs in the southwest, through villages very similar in character to the towns on the Peninsula, they put the rails into such a ditch, and it has been a comfortable situation ever since, for both the people in the trains and the
people in the houses and streets.
In the later 1940's and the 1950's, many Americans
lived there and did not feel disturbed by the traffic.
Hans Dolezalek, East Creek Drive, Menlo Park
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 10:03 PM
Menlo Park Almanac: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
New zoned Caltrain fares coming in September
By Arthur L. Lloyd
Earlier this month the Caltrain board of directors
(composed of three members each from San Fran-cisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties)
approved a new fare/zone system on the 78-mile railroad extending from San Francisco to Gilroy.
The new scheme reduces the present nine fare zones (eight plus San Francisco) to six 13-mile zones and equalizes the fares over the complete railroad.
The fare between San Jose and Gilroy will increase
slightly, but as a partial balance, commuters will
enjoy free parking rather than pay the fee that is charged at stations north of San Jose.
In addition, a proof of payment will be required of all passengers as conductors will be relieved from selling fares on board trains and be able to concentrate on operational duties such as calling stops; opening doors, making announcements and assisting passengers with mobility problems.
Passengers will be required to purchase tickets
from the machines available in most depots.
There will be no reduction in staffing of trains as conductors will also make random checks of passengers to ensure each has a valid ticket or monthly pass and, if necessary, issue warnings or citations to those who do not.
The proof of payment or POP is not new. Altamont Commuter Express trains between Stockton and San Jose require them, as do the Metrolink and Coaster systems in Southern California.
Metrolink in the Los Angeles area has had this system since its beginning in 1992 and those trains carry the equivalent of Caltrain's daily count of 30,000 riders.
Light rail operators in San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles also are fully dependent on the proof of purchase system.
The policy started in Europe and is in 100
percent use by rail carriers in all countries.
BART has a combination of point-to-point and zone fares, charging one fare within the city limits of San Francisco and Oakland regardless of distance traveled.
However, mileage-based rates extend to other
points on the system. There are advantages and, obviously, disadvantages. Some passengers will benefit from the new system while others may pay a higher fare.
The most obvious drawback will be for the passenger who travels only between two cities (such as Millbare and San Bruno) and has to pay an inter-zone fare for a one- or two-mile ride.
Meanwhile, a passenger traveling within a zone for 12 miles will pay a lesser fare. Some passengers paying more for shorter trips may find
it cheaper to use a SamTrans or VTA bus with a single fare on El Camino Real.
The SamTrans [sic] board heard extensive testimony on the fare changes, and then unani-
mously adopted staff's recommendation, with a provision that point-to-point fares be considered as the fairest way to charge for Caltrain service.
Today's sophisticated fare vending machines eventually could be programmed to allow the complicated point-to-point fares to be used,
which could do away with the zone system but keep the proof of payment system intact.
[BATN note: See adrianbrandt.home.attbi.com
for the distance-based Caltrain fare proposal presented to the Caltrain Joint Powers Board.]
The new fares and zones are to be implemented
September 22, before the inaugural of the Baby Bullet train service late this year or in early 2004, when the upgrade of the railroad is com-pleted to allow express trains to pass local trains.
The first of the new 3,600-horsepower locomotives has arrived on the Caltrain property and all 17
of the new triple-deck cars are already in
service.
Arthur L. Lloyd is a member of the board that oversees Caltrain. He is a resident of Portola Valley and a member of the Almanac's Panel
of Contributors.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 10:09 PM
Redwood City Daily News: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Shuttle service avoids budget ax
By Sara Gaiser
Daily News Staff Writer
San Mateo's free Caltrain shuttles appear to have been spared for the moment from budget cutting despite low ridership, officials said yesterday.
"We've been told they've survived the first round of cuts," said Michael Stevenson, manager of the shuttle program for the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Alliance.
The city's two shuttle routes, which carry workers during peak hours between the Hayward Park and Hillsdale Caltrain stations to business parks and employers, were threatened with can-cellation earlier this year due to low ridership.
However, city officials, who pay 25 percent of the shuttles' cost, and the alliance scrambled to make some changes including the inclusion of Siebel on one route in an effort to boost ridership numbers.
"We've partnered with Siebel Systems and combined their private shuttle with our Hayward Park shuttle, and that has been restructured to serve both riderships," said Larry Patterson, director of public works for San Mateo. "That seems to have increased ridership noticeable."
Despite these improvements, the shuttles will not be officially safe from the ax until the Caltrain board, which dispenses the funds for the program, takes its final vote on next year's budget.
"It's way too early to say these shuttles have passed into funding this year," said Richard Cook, coordinator of the shuttle program for Caltrain. "All it's done is survived the initial scrutiny."
Caltrain's joint powers authority normally requires each individual free shuttle route to carry an average of 70 riders daily.
The two San Mateo routes together carried an average of only 49 workers a day from the Hayward Park and Hillsdale stations to area business parks and employers -- including Siebel -- in the first quarter of this year.
But that number represents a 139 percent increase on ridership in the same quarter last year, Stevenson said. The city's shuttle program originally had one vehicle serving both stations, and was split into two routes only last March.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 6th 7:26 AM
Caltrain Release: Thursday, May 1, 2003
Caltrain Welcomes a New Rail Operations Manager
Caltrain's recently hired operations manager has worked around the world with rail. Robert Doty, started his career with BART 33 years ago then made his way to England, Germany, Korea and China before coming home to the Bay Area and Caltrain.
Doty came onboard in late March, bringing with him an impressive resume and the experience to manage the agency's operations contract with Amtrak and prepare Caltrain service for the modern era in Peninsula railroading.
"Caltrain's picture for the future is already
here. Pacific Bell Park looks like old San Franci-sco but offers all of today's modern convenien-ces," said Doty. "We have to be the same thing."
"At no other time in this agency's history have we faced more dramatic operational changes, than we are facing right now," said Jerry Kirzner, deputy chief of rail services. "Bob's broad range of experiences will be critical in helping Caltrain make the smooth transition into the 21st century."
Doty began his railroading career with BART in 1970 and became the manager of train operations. He was involved in the testing of the new system and stayed on through the system's start-up period.
His career then took him to Taipei, Taiwan where he managed Systems Engineering for its Metropolitan Transit System.
Most recently, Doty worked as Bechtel's project manager responsible for the engineering, con-tracting and implementation of all systemwide
works for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between Dover and the outskirts of London.
In this position, he oversaw 2,300 employees responsible for everything from installing the "sleepers", known as railroad ties in America,
through testing the final operating system.
After being exposed to Caltrain's "energy and fresh attitude," Doty decided to return to Bay Area transportation.
In addition to his San Leandro home, Doty and his wife, Betty, enjoy a retreat in the Sierras where he's currently building a large pond with plans to stock it with fish for his grandchildren to catch.
Returning to California also has meant an opport-unity to be close to his two grown sons and their families.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 6th 8:16 AM
Bay City News: Monday, May 5, 2003
SFPD Searches Commuter Train For Bank Robber
San Francisco and Menlo Park police stopped a San Jose-bound train at the Menlo Park train station Monday afternoon in order to search the train for the suspect in a San Francisco bank robbery, said
Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie.
Police thought the suspect boarded southbound train No. 56 at the San Francisco Caltrain station after robbing at gunpoint the Bank of
America at 501 Brannan St. in San Francisco.
The train was stopped between 2:35 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. and was searched for about 15 minutes before officials determined that the suspect was not onboard.
The robbery occurred at about 1 p.m. when the suspect passed a note to the teller demanding money and fled on foot with $500 in cash.
Witnesses said the suspect was headed in the direction of the train station.
The suspect was a white male in his 40's, clean-shaven with brown hair, 5 feet 6 inches tall. He weighs about 160 pounds, and was last seen wearing
a white, pinstriped, long-sleeved shirt, according
to San Francisco police spokesman Dewayne Tully.
He may also have been wearing a jacket bearing some sort of Hawaiian pattern, Tully said. San Francisco and San Mateo County police continued to search for the suspect.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
User ID: 1606604 Apr 23rd 8:30 AM
Palo Alto Daily News: Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Broken weld delays Caltrain commutes
A broken weld connecting two Caltrain tracks caused a 35-minute delay for some trains yester-day just as the morning commute was beginning.
Before 5 a.m., the system detected a problem and a Caltrain inspector discovered the broken weld, Caltrain spokeswoman Janet McGovern said.
Trains were diverted around the area, sharing a single track while workmen replaced a section of track. The broken piece near Scott Street in San Bruno was about 30 years old, McGovern said.
Three northbound trains were delayed from 17 to 35 minutes, while two southbound trains were each delayed about six minutes.
"Considering it was during the morning commute, it could have been much worse," McGovern said.
The cause of the problem isn't known, and Caltrain officials said they are investigating.
Þ--Þ--Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Apr 29th 8:27 AM
San Mateo Daily Journal: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Accused Caltrain thief faces embezzlement charges
By Andrew Becker
Daily Journal
A former Caltrain ticket vending machine mainten-ance man accused of stealing $118,214 from the automated dispensers along the train corridor will
stand trial for grand theft and embezzlement, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled yesterday.
Layton Eastridge, 37, of Windsor, Calif., has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including a special allegation he destroyed property during
the crime. He was arrested by San Mateo County Sheriff's Office detectives Dec. 10 at his home in Windsor after a three-month investigation.
He is being held at San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $150,000. If convicted, he faces a maximum of four years in prison.
Although Eastridge admitted he stole at least $50,000 when detectives searched him last Novem-ber, his attorney is arguing that Caltrain's esti-
mates on the amount of money taken are way off.
Caltrain treasury manager Carol Lawson, who testi-fied yesterday at a preliminary hearing, said the dollar value is probably underestimated as com-puter tracking of money collected is updated once a day.
Eastridge worked for Petaluma-based VenTek International, Inc., which designed, installed and maintains the fare collection and ticket
dispensing devices at the 34 stations along the Caltrain line from San Francisco to Gilroy.
VenTek technicians are not permitted to have
any contact with money or the bill vaults that are collected by Dunbar security company.
When detectives executed a search warrant Nov. 12 at VenTek and at Eastridge's home, they found keys
police said Eastridge used to gain access to the bill vaults. They also seized major appliances, tools, a high-definition television and other items thought to be purchased with the stolen money. Eastridge allegedly told police that he took the money because he felt he was being cheated by VenTek and he was underappreciated.
He had also accumulated debt, testified witness Frank Taylor, who was one of the detectives who investigated the theft. Eastridge told police he took about $1,500 a month, which he used to buy food, gas and a trip for his sister and her family from the East Coast to California.
Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher also sought to establish that Eastridge used a laptop computer to reset a the vending machines'
money tracking system.
Caltrain officials first noticed there was missing money in Sept. 2001, but didn't conduct a full-blown investigation until July 2002
when they contacted police. Lloyd Handler, Eastridge's attorney, questioned why it took Caltrain so long to initiate the investigation.
He also said that there was corruption in the team of technicians that Eastridge managed and that the suspect is taking the blame. Handler also said Caltrain may have its own problems with
record keeping.
Lawson testified that Caltrain became suspicious when auditors noticed a large number of shutdowns of the vending machines computer and corre-sponding money missing.
She said it is not necessary to shut down the machine to repair them. Caltrain believes East-ridge stole money on at least 106 occasions.
Although other technicians had shutdown the machines, there was no corresponding losses with those shutdowns.
Eastridge is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on May 8.
Andrew Becker's e-mail: andrew@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com
Þ--Þ--Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Apr 29th 9:10 AM
San Mateo County Times: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Accused Caltrain fare robber charged; Employee tells police he took money because his company didn't appreciate him
By Christine Louie
Staff Writer
REDWOOD CITY -- A man accused of stealing more than $118,000 from Caltrain ticket-vending machines told police he did it because he felt he
was being cheated by his company.
Layton Hughes Eastridge, 37, admitted he took about $1,500 a week for a year beginning in September 2001, according to Frank Taylor, a
former sheriff's detective who testified at Eastridge's preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Eastridge, a maintenance man for VenTek Internat-ional, is accused of stealing money from 110 Cal-train ticket machines from San Francisco to
Gilroy. He has been charged with felony grand theft and a special allegation that he damaged or destroyed property while committing theft. If convicted, Eastridge could spend up to four years in prison.
Carol Lawson, Caltrain treasury manager, testified Tuesday that she became alarmed in July 2002 after an audit revealed a discrepancy
between the amount of money reported on the machines and the actual total collected.
Caltrain began investigating the number of "shut-downs" each machine reported, and compared it with
the number of times Eastridge shut down his mach-ines, Lawson said. Of the 156 times Eastridge shut
down the machines during the one-year period, 106 of those incidents involved money loss, she said.
Lawson testified that other maintenance workers also shut down their ticket machines during the one-year period when losses were reported.
But, she said later, none of the shut-downs by other workers were linked to any monetary losses.
Taylor, the former sheriff's detective, testified that Eastridge told him in November that he spent the money on food, gas and a trip to bring his sister and family to California. Eastridge, of Windsor, estimated to authorities that he stole about $50,000 during the time period.
During the police interview, Eastridge also said he didn't feel appreciated by VenTek, a Petaluma-based company Caltrain pays to operate and maintain its ticket machines, Taylor said.
Eastridge told officials he used a special cable and software with a company laptop to alter the accounting system within the machine's internal bill vaults, Taylor testified. After lowering the fare-collection display amount, Eastridge would remove the money, he said.
But that strategy became "very time-consuming," Taylor said, and Eastridge told authorities he would simply remove the bill vault, take the cash, and put in an empty vault after shutting down the machine.
During cross-examination, Taylor said he never recalled seeing any records showing who would be issued VenTek property, like maintenance keys. Such keys were needed to access the ticketing machines.
Defense attorney Lloyd Handler said outside the courtroom that the amount Eastridge estimated taking was much less than what he is accused of stealing, suggesting that others who had access to the maintenance keys could also have played some part in the thefts.
Judge Barbara Mallach ruled after the hearing there is enough probable cause to hold Eastridge to answer to the felony charges. Mallach also refused to reduce his $150,000 bail. Eastridge returns to court for arraignment on May 8.
Staff writer Christine Louie covers the courts. She can be reached at 650-306-2425 or by e-mail at clouie@angnewspapers.com
Þ--Þ--Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 8:39 PM
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Windsor man faces trial on theft charge
By Randi Rossmann
Staff Writer
A Petaluma security company employee accused of using insider knowledge to steal $120,000 from a San Mateo County public transit agency must stand trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Layton Eastridge, 37, of Windsor told detectives he took the money because he was angry with the size of his paycheck from his employer, VenTek International (www.ventek-intl.com).
Eastridge, however, contends that he took only about $50,000 -- less than half the amount the transit agency said was stolen, defense attorney Lloyd Handler said.
After a two-hour hearing in San Mateo Superior Court, Judge Barbara Mallach ordered Eastridge held for trial on grand theft and related charges.
Eastridge was a senior technician for VenTek, which provides security and maintenance for electronic ticket vending machines for the San Mateo County Transit District.
The machines dispense tickets for Caltrain, the peninsula's commuter-rail service, and Samtrans buses.
Prosecutors contend that from September 2001 to September 2002, Eastridge frequently traveled to the South Bay, supposedly to conduct maintenance on the vending machines. Instead, prosecutor Sean
Gallagher said, he used a laptop computer to get into the security system and change tabulations of how much money had been deposited that week.
He would take about $1,500 per trip, Gallagher said.
Eastridge carefully covered the thefts for awhile through computer system alterations. But after some months he stopped and it became obvious to the agency that money was missing, Gallagher said.
Samtrans employee Carol Lawson testified that she traced the thefts to when Eastridge had shut down the machines for repairs.
A San Mateo County sheriff's detective told the judge that Eastridge confessed when he was confronted at his Windsor home in December.
"He said he had been angry at the company, felt like they hadn't paid him what he was worth. He said he had debt problems," Gallagher said.
Eastridge told authorities that he used the cash to pay bills. He also pointed out items through-out his home he had bought with the money,
including a computer, television and appliances, Gallagher said.
Handler said Eastridge will take responsibility for the amount he took, but shouldn't be punished for the entire loss.
Handler said he will argue in trial that the security system on the machines was so lax that it is possible other people may have been
involved.
Eastridge has no criminal history. If convicted he could face four years in state prison.
He has been held in San Mateo County Jail since his arrest in December. Bail is $150,000.
His trial is expected to begin early this summer.
A call to VenTek wasn't returned.
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5249 or rrossman@pressdemocrat.com.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 8:44 PM
Caltrain Release: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Caltrain's Lawrence Station to Move April 28
Caltrain's Lawrence Station in Sunnyvale will move approximately 250 feet south beginning Monday, April 28, to facilitate construction
and station improvements.
The temporary move will shift the station immediately south of the pedestrian overpass at Lawrence Station, which is located beneath
Lawrence Expressway, at San Zeno Way and Lawrence Station Road.
A new parking area has been created at the end of Lawrence Station Road, south of the current lot.
Bike lockers next to the southbound tracks will be near the new parking area, and lockers next to the northbound tracks will be near the freeway overpass.
All other station amenities will be in their new locations by April 28 except for ticket vending machines, which will be relocated in early May.
The temporary relocation of the station is necessary because of the CTX construction project,
which includes adding two tracks through the station area, and reconstructing the Lawrence station, making it more accessible to passengers with disabilities. The work at Lawrence is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Construction crews will attempt to keep disruption
to a minimum. For more information or questions, call the CTX construction information line at 650.624.2705.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 9:54 PM
Menlo Park Almanac: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Letters to the Editor: Another idea for Caltrain grade-crossings
No, the quick and most powerful public trans-portation facility we have, Caltrain, should not be taken from the center of many of the towns through which it now runs.
If some friends in Atherton do not like it, Caltrain may close their station. [BATN: See groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/11561 ]
It is a very favorable situation that many of the people living here can walk to the train station and many others have only a short drive.
Elevating the rails by 10 or more feet would divide many of the towns into two parts that could not even look at each other.
Instead, the whole line should be lowered by about 20 feet into a kind of broad ditch with inclined walls on both sides, covered by trees and shrubs, so all streets could cross it at the present grade level.
The noise of the trains would be greatly reduced and our friends in Atherton would hardly hear and not see the trains, and the passengers on the trains would not see the houses of Atherton.
We could find ways to avoid flooding and yes, it would be much more expensive but it would be a good and permanent solution.
Many changes desired at a later time -- such as a few more street crossings -- would be cheaper and would be more comfortable and beautiful.
At present, the towns, counties and the state do not have enough money to do the job. They should not spend money now for an interim (and undesirable) solution.
Placing the railroad 10 feet up and 10 feet down would make the future (and desirable) solution much more expensive. Is the need to do away with today's level grade-crossings really that urgent?
In the 1920's, when the people in Berlin, Germany wanted to extend their intra-urban railroad to suburbs in the southwest, through villages very similar in character to the towns on the Peninsula, they put the rails into such a ditch, and it has been a comfortable situation ever since, for both the people in the trains and the
people in the houses and streets.
In the later 1940's and the 1950's, many Americans
lived there and did not feel disturbed by the traffic.
Hans Dolezalek, East Creek Drive, Menlo Park
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 10:03 PM
Menlo Park Almanac: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
New zoned Caltrain fares coming in September
By Arthur L. Lloyd
Earlier this month the Caltrain board of directors
(composed of three members each from San Fran-cisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties)
approved a new fare/zone system on the 78-mile railroad extending from San Francisco to Gilroy.
The new scheme reduces the present nine fare zones (eight plus San Francisco) to six 13-mile zones and equalizes the fares over the complete railroad.
The fare between San Jose and Gilroy will increase
slightly, but as a partial balance, commuters will
enjoy free parking rather than pay the fee that is charged at stations north of San Jose.
In addition, a proof of payment will be required of all passengers as conductors will be relieved from selling fares on board trains and be able to concentrate on operational duties such as calling stops; opening doors, making announcements and assisting passengers with mobility problems.
Passengers will be required to purchase tickets
from the machines available in most depots.
There will be no reduction in staffing of trains as conductors will also make random checks of passengers to ensure each has a valid ticket or monthly pass and, if necessary, issue warnings or citations to those who do not.
The proof of payment or POP is not new. Altamont Commuter Express trains between Stockton and San Jose require them, as do the Metrolink and Coaster systems in Southern California.
Metrolink in the Los Angeles area has had this system since its beginning in 1992 and those trains carry the equivalent of Caltrain's daily count of 30,000 riders.
Light rail operators in San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles also are fully dependent on the proof of purchase system.
The policy started in Europe and is in 100
percent use by rail carriers in all countries.
BART has a combination of point-to-point and zone fares, charging one fare within the city limits of San Francisco and Oakland regardless of distance traveled.
However, mileage-based rates extend to other
points on the system. There are advantages and, obviously, disadvantages. Some passengers will benefit from the new system while others may pay a higher fare.
The most obvious drawback will be for the passenger who travels only between two cities (such as Millbare and San Bruno) and has to pay an inter-zone fare for a one- or two-mile ride.
Meanwhile, a passenger traveling within a zone for 12 miles will pay a lesser fare. Some passengers paying more for shorter trips may find
it cheaper to use a SamTrans or VTA bus with a single fare on El Camino Real.
The SamTrans [sic] board heard extensive testimony on the fare changes, and then unani-
mously adopted staff's recommendation, with a provision that point-to-point fares be considered as the fairest way to charge for Caltrain service.
Today's sophisticated fare vending machines eventually could be programmed to allow the complicated point-to-point fares to be used,
which could do away with the zone system but keep the proof of payment system intact.
[BATN note: See adrianbrandt.home.attbi.com
for the distance-based Caltrain fare proposal presented to the Caltrain Joint Powers Board.]
The new fares and zones are to be implemented
September 22, before the inaugural of the Baby Bullet train service late this year or in early 2004, when the upgrade of the railroad is com-pleted to allow express trains to pass local trains.
The first of the new 3,600-horsepower locomotives has arrived on the Caltrain property and all 17
of the new triple-deck cars are already in
service.
Arthur L. Lloyd is a member of the board that oversees Caltrain. He is a resident of Portola Valley and a member of the Almanac's Panel
of Contributors.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 5th 10:09 PM
Redwood City Daily News: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Shuttle service avoids budget ax
By Sara Gaiser
Daily News Staff Writer
San Mateo's free Caltrain shuttles appear to have been spared for the moment from budget cutting despite low ridership, officials said yesterday.
"We've been told they've survived the first round of cuts," said Michael Stevenson, manager of the shuttle program for the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Alliance.
The city's two shuttle routes, which carry workers during peak hours between the Hayward Park and Hillsdale Caltrain stations to business parks and employers, were threatened with can-cellation earlier this year due to low ridership.
However, city officials, who pay 25 percent of the shuttles' cost, and the alliance scrambled to make some changes including the inclusion of Siebel on one route in an effort to boost ridership numbers.
"We've partnered with Siebel Systems and combined their private shuttle with our Hayward Park shuttle, and that has been restructured to serve both riderships," said Larry Patterson, director of public works for San Mateo. "That seems to have increased ridership noticeable."
Despite these improvements, the shuttles will not be officially safe from the ax until the Caltrain board, which dispenses the funds for the program, takes its final vote on next year's budget.
"It's way too early to say these shuttles have passed into funding this year," said Richard Cook, coordinator of the shuttle program for Caltrain. "All it's done is survived the initial scrutiny."
Caltrain's joint powers authority normally requires each individual free shuttle route to carry an average of 70 riders daily.
The two San Mateo routes together carried an average of only 49 workers a day from the Hayward Park and Hillsdale stations to area business parks and employers -- including Siebel -- in the first quarter of this year.
But that number represents a 139 percent increase on ridership in the same quarter last year, Stevenson said. The city's shuttle program originally had one vehicle serving both stations, and was split into two routes only last March.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 6th 7:26 AM
Caltrain Release: Thursday, May 1, 2003
Caltrain Welcomes a New Rail Operations Manager
Caltrain's recently hired operations manager has worked around the world with rail. Robert Doty, started his career with BART 33 years ago then made his way to England, Germany, Korea and China before coming home to the Bay Area and Caltrain.
Doty came onboard in late March, bringing with him an impressive resume and the experience to manage the agency's operations contract with Amtrak and prepare Caltrain service for the modern era in Peninsula railroading.
"Caltrain's picture for the future is already
here. Pacific Bell Park looks like old San Franci-sco but offers all of today's modern convenien-ces," said Doty. "We have to be the same thing."
"At no other time in this agency's history have we faced more dramatic operational changes, than we are facing right now," said Jerry Kirzner, deputy chief of rail services. "Bob's broad range of experiences will be critical in helping Caltrain make the smooth transition into the 21st century."
Doty began his railroading career with BART in 1970 and became the manager of train operations. He was involved in the testing of the new system and stayed on through the system's start-up period.
His career then took him to Taipei, Taiwan where he managed Systems Engineering for its Metropolitan Transit System.
Most recently, Doty worked as Bechtel's project manager responsible for the engineering, con-tracting and implementation of all systemwide
works for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between Dover and the outskirts of London.
In this position, he oversaw 2,300 employees responsible for everything from installing the "sleepers", known as railroad ties in America,
through testing the final operating system.
After being exposed to Caltrain's "energy and fresh attitude," Doty decided to return to Bay Area transportation.
In addition to his San Leandro home, Doty and his wife, Betty, enjoy a retreat in the Sierras where he's currently building a large pond with plans to stock it with fish for his grandchildren to catch.
Returning to California also has meant an opport-unity to be close to his two grown sons and their families.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ
Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 May 6th 8:16 AM
Bay City News: Monday, May 5, 2003
SFPD Searches Commuter Train For Bank Robber
San Francisco and Menlo Park police stopped a San Jose-bound train at the Menlo Park train station Monday afternoon in order to search the train for the suspect in a San Francisco bank robbery, said
Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie.
Police thought the suspect boarded southbound train No. 56 at the San Francisco Caltrain station after robbing at gunpoint the Bank of
America at 501 Brannan St. in San Francisco.
The train was stopped between 2:35 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. and was searched for about 15 minutes before officials determined that the suspect was not onboard.
The robbery occurred at about 1 p.m. when the suspect passed a note to the teller demanding money and fled on foot with $500 in cash.
Witnesses said the suspect was headed in the direction of the train station.
The suspect was a white male in his 40's, clean-shaven with brown hair, 5 feet 6 inches tall. He weighs about 160 pounds, and was last seen wearing
a white, pinstriped, long-sleeved shirt, according
to San Francisco police spokesman Dewayne Tully.
He may also have been wearing a jacket bearing some sort of Hawaiian pattern, Tully said. San Francisco and San Mateo County police continued to search for the suspect.
Þ-Þ-®-Þ-Þ