Pirzynski Appointed VTA Vice Chairman

Former Los Gatos Mayor Joe Pirzynski has been appointed the new vice chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

The longtime town political leader will serve along with Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, who will serve as chairman.

The new leadership was welcomed Jan. 5 during its first meeting of the year.

Yeager has been on the board for the past 11 years, serving most recently as vice chairman last year.

Pirzynski, who's a member of the Los Gatos Town Council, chaired the VTA Board in 2005.

“2012 will be a banner year for VTA,” said Yeager in a press release issued by the VTA. “This year, the agency will break ground on projects that include bringing BART to San Jose and creating the county’s first bus rapid transit corridor.” 

As vice chairman, Pirzynski will represent City Group 3, which includes the West Valley cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Saratoga and the town of Los Gatos. 

Pirzynski served on VTA’s Policy Advisory Committee as chairman for 2011 and vice chair for 2010. Also in 2010, he worked tirelessly with the Ad-Hoc Financial Stability Committee, comprised of local officials, business and community leaders, labor and other stakeholders, to recommend solutions to the full Board on strategies to address VTA’s long-term budget issues. 

Pirzynski first held a leadership role on VTA committees starting in 2001 as an alternate to the PAC and a member of the Vasona Corridor Advisory Committee.

“For more than a decade, I have been involved in VTA policy making in one way or another because safe, reliable and affordable transportation services is a priority for our community,” said Pirzynski. “It’s been a great experience to witness the many transitions, peaks and valleys, and overall accomplishments that VTA has achieved. I am pleased to have been a part of that and I look forward to more success stories in the coming year.”

Pirzynski also serves on VTA’s Audit Committee and the Congestion Management Program and Planning Committee. In 2010, Joe was re-elected to the Los Gatos Town Council where he was first elected in 1998. He also served as mayor of Los Gatos for the terms 2000-01, 2006-07 and 2010-11.

For his part Yeager emphasized that VTA will be working to change the Bay Area's transportation political and administrative landscape. 

VTA is working to create a Caltrans Innovative District for Santa Clara County that would streamline operations and result in the completion of more projects on time and on budget, he said.

Passage of AB 57, authored by Assemblyman Jim Beall, would create fairer representation for Santa Clara County on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional agency responsible for transportation funding, Yeager added. 

“I believe that it is crucial that Santa Clara County receive its equitable share of transportation dollars,” Yeager said.

Yeager was first elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2006. He served six years on the San Jose City Council. He is a member of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers (Caltrain) Board and a governor’s appointee to the California Air Resources Board, the statewide agency responsible reducing air pollution and combating global warming.