Published Monday, Nov. 5, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News 
   
                                 EDITORIAL
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                      The opinion of the Mercury News
                                      
BART clock is ticking

Board and VTA must quickly reach agreement on operating costs if San Jose
line is to happen

   People can't wait to board BART trains in downtown San Jose. The idea
   is so popular that last year, 71 percent of Santa Clara County voters
   approved a 30-year half-cent sales tax to pay for it, along with other
   transit improvements.
   
   But the local money alone can't build BART to San Jose. The plan
   counted on more than $800 million in federal matching funds as well --
   money likely to be available only if the BART extension is included in
   a regional plan that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is
   compiling this fall.
   
   Of course the BART extension belongs in the plan. But before including
   it, MTC reasonably is requiring that BART and the local Valley
   Transportation Authority reach agreement on how the extension will be
   operated and who will pay for what. Now the clock is running out on
   those negotiations. If they fail, BART may never come to San Jose.
   
   The practical deadline looms Friday. Unless the VTA can vote on a pact
   that day, and the BART board soon after, it may be impossible to meet
   MTC's schedule. The commission needs the agreement by Nov. 19.
   
   The main sticking point seems to be the money to operate the new line
   -- probably some $23 million a year more than the farebox will bring
   in. BART would like the VTA to identify the source of that funding,
   such as an additional sales tax. The VTA wants more time to evaluate
   options, since that first train to San Jose is still a decade away.
   
   Should the talks fail, the VTA suggests it could go it alone and build
   a ``BART-like'' line to Warm Springs, where riders would switch to
   BART. This could drop ridership on the new line by 17 percent; people
   hate changing trains. It's not what voters had in mind, either. They
   said yes to BART, not BART-like.
   
   Talks between BART and VTA staffs moved at a snail's pace through the
   summer but picked up last month. Gaps have narrowed considerably.
   Fortunately, VTA and BART board members have been more closely
   involved in recent weeks -- including San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, who
   started this drive to bring BART to town.
   
   These are the people voters will hold responsible if talks fail. These
   are the people most likely to take the big-picture view of what's at
   stake: BART to San Jose is a good idea, not only for Santa Clara
   County but for the Bay Area.
   
   These are the people who can make it happen. But time is running out.
   It's four days and counting.