OFFICIAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT

By Maria Alegria

Statement of Qualifications for Maria Alegria

BART should be safe, accessible, and affordable for those who need BART to go to work, school, medical appointments, or recreation events.

I offer experience that blends my work in local government and community advocacy.

My accomplishments include:

As Mayor of Pinole (1996-2007) and a Director for CCC Transportation Authority and WESTCAT, I advocated for West Contra Costa communities to receive funding for youth bus passes to keep them in school, and funds for WESTCAT to continue bus service to BART.

I have worked with regional transportation agencies to support interconnectivity with ferry, rail, bus and bike riders to provide seamless service to BART.

As a community advocate and member of the Richmond Equitable Development Initiative (REDI), we advocated for safety improvements to bus shelters; and equitable access to transit and BART for low-income youth, seniors, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents. These policy priorities are now part of the City of Richmond's 2012 General Plan.

I am a Bay Area native and received my B.A. from UC Berkeley.

I pledge to work hard for the communities in District 7 to provide BART service that is safe, affordable and accessible.

I ask for your vote.

Sincerely,

Maria Alegria