Candidate Support for the Milpitas PRT Project

2024 Candidate Support for the Milpitas PRT Project

2022 candidates said their support for PRT; 2024 candidates show their support.

Candidates seeking to represent Milpitas residents were sent an invitation letter to support the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) Demonstration Project described on this website. Their responses (if any) are listed here, followed by a key to the actions they did or commit to do. Please share these results with other voters.

[Disclaimer: LoopWorks neither supports nor opposes candidates, but is merely informing the public about where candidates stand on this issue. For actual recommendations by various political and policy groups, click here.]

1. Attend a LoopWorks event (Aug. 8, Sept. 4)
2. Write a letter of support for the project.
3. Endorse the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City regarding the project.
4. Become a community member ($100 for Milpitas residents, $1000 for others).
5. Arrange a meeting between LoopWorks and a community leader to discuss PRT.
6. Arrange an opportunity for LoopWorks to present PRT to an audience.
7. Promote state-level TIRCP legislation to allow PRT to compete for rail funding.
8. Cultivate additional LoopWorks members: 1) Anchor Members that own property in the Transit Area, and 2) Foundation Members that can provide grant funding for pre-development work (final design, engineering, and permitting).
9. Pass organizational and/or governmental resolutions of support.

Invitation Letter to Support the Milpitas PRT Project

Subject: We’ll inform voters of your support for Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)

Dear Candidate,

PRT promises quicker, easier, and safer transit service at lower operating costs than current options. The PRT Demonstration Project around the Great Mall and BART Transit Center is desired by many Milpitas voters – thousands because they live in that Metro area, others for a variety of reasons including environmental. Some people and organizations have even written letters of support.

Using various communication channels, LoopWorks plans to inform voters of your active support for the project, and what you plan to do if elected – starting with this web page.

To provide background, I invite you into a conversation about PRT technology, our demonstration project, LoopWorks governance, and the benefits to the City, its residents, and the world. Those benefits include safer transit, increased City revenue, and the potential to grow the system to serve most of Milpitas.

My schedule is flexible, so let me know when and where is convenient for you. The urgency of our Climate Crisis requires new ways of doing things. PRT can be one of them.

To start your thinking about opportunities, consider this initial list of actions that you could take – or promise to take – to support the PRT project.

1. Write a letter of support for the project.
2. Endorse the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City regarding the project.
3. Become a community member ($100 for Milpitas residents, $1000 for others).
4. Arrange a meeting between LoopWorks and a community leader to discuss PRT.
5. Arrange an opportunity for LoopWorks to present PRT to an audience.
6. Promote state-level TIRCP legislation to allow PRT to compete for rail funding.
7. Cultivate additional LoopWorks members: 1) Anchor Members that own property in the Transit Area, and 2) Foundation Members that can provide grant funding for the $6M pre-development work (final design, engineering, and permitting).
8. Pass organizational and/or governmental resolutions of support.

Thank you for considering this opportunity. Let me know if you have questions, or would like guidance through our extensive website.

Rob Means, LoopWorks Secretary Rob@MilpitasPRT.com 408-262-0420 home, 408-262-8975 v-mail1421 Yellowstone Ave, Milpitas, CA 95035 https://MilpitasPRT.com Transit for all of us!

2022 Candidates Supporting the Milpitas PRT Project

In survey responses, these candidates indicated various levels of support.

• U. S. Representative (CD 17) Ro Khanna endorses the MOU and supports the project.
• U. S. Representative (CD 17) Ritesh Tandon endorses the MOU and supports the project.
• CA Senate (SD 10) Aisha Wahab supports the project.
• CA Assembly (AD 24) Alex Lee has 1) written a letter of support, 2) endorses the MOU, and 3) supports the project.
• Milpitas Mayor Karina Dominguez endorses the MOU and supports the project.
• Milpitas Mayor Dr. Ola Robert Hassan endorses the MOU and supports the project.
• Milpitas Mayor Anthony Phan supports the project.
• Milpitas Mayor Voltaire Montemayor supports the project.
• Milpitas City Council Isaac Stringer has 1) written a letter of support, 2) endorses the MOU, and 3) supports the project.
• Milpitas City Council Dipak Awasthi supports the project.
• Milpitas City Council Demetress Morris supports the project.
• MUSD School Board Member Chris Norwood supports the project.
• MUSD School Board Member Rob Jung supports the project.
• MUSD School Board Member Anu Nakka supports the project.

Read the letters of support.

The Milpitas PRT Survey for 2022 Candidates

Read the full questionnaire.

The Defining Question

Candidate answers to this question determined their listing above.

Question #9: On the subject of the proposed dual-loop PRT system, how would you rate your support:

• I have written a letter of support.
• I endorse the MOU presented to the City by LoopWorks.
• I support the project.
• I am neutral on the PRT project. Reason: ____________________
• I oppose the PRT project. Reason: _____________________
• I decline to answer.
• [No response received after multiple attempts.]

Answers to Open-Ended Questions

Should climate change be tackled at the local level? Why or why not?

Assembly member Alex Lee: Yes; climate change needs to be tackled on every level: federal, state, local. Each layer has important ways to reduce carbon emissions.

Karina Dominguez: Yes, we all have a responsibility to tackle climate change at all levels. As a local municipality, we must do everything that we can to help Mother Earth last for future generations. By implementing prevention and ways of eliminating emissions, we can play a huge role in tackling climate change.

Anthony Phan: Yes, it’s the greatest existential threat to our planet.

Dr. Ola Robert Hassan: Yes It should be tackled at local level. We should all get involved. We have all seen the effects of the Climate changes. I am a strong advocate of this. We need to save our planet at all cost to safe humanity.

Isaac Stringer: It is one of the most important issues that needs to be aggressively addressed.

Chris Norwood: Climate change must be addressed at all levels. Policies are enacted and done (or not) by the people.

Dipak Awasthi: Yes, we should do our bit to protect the planet for our future generations and not leave climate control for the future. Global warming shows the time is now.

Ritesh Tandon: Yes, less cars on road, less carbon emission.

Anu Nakka: I believe climate change needs to be tackled at every level. It is a matter of our future generations existence. Every one must do their bit to help the environment. I support having special climate change classes/seminars to educate all residents of Milpitas so they can take actions to save our planet.

What is your current impression of Personal Rapid Transit and LoopWorks?

Alex Lee: Very positive and optimistic!

Karina Dominguez: It’s a system to help residents from one point of town to another in an efficient way.

Dr. Ola Robert Hassan: I strongly support the Personal Transit and Loopworks. It will help in saving our planet.

Anthony Phan: It’s ambitious in what it is trying to accomplish.

Isaac Stringer: I am an enthusiastic supporter.

Chris Norwood: Conceptually, it is a good idea and keeps the conversation focused on taking care of the environment, reducing carbon emissions and human footprint in needed areas.

Dipak Awasthi: It is a very ambitious plan to reduce carbon emission and help Milpitas commuters travel from one place to another.

Ritesh Tandon: I fully support. We can create a pilot in Milpitas and expand to other cities.

Anu Nakka: I do support the project. It is innovative and much needed. I do believe demonstrating a sustainable financial operational model to make it a reality is missing.

Rob Jung: This is where I stand:

• The concept is interesting and intriguing.
• However, my top three challenges to the project are:
• Demonstrated customer demand (i.e. what is the actual demand of a similar system, or do you have surveys that show the potential demand)
• A financial operating model that is sustainable.
• A funding proposal that is obtainable (i.e. I don’t see any investors at the moment who would be willing to invest in the project because of the philanthropic ROI).

2022 Candidates not supporting the Milpitas PRT Project

Candidates not listed above as supporting PRT did not respond to repeated requests via email, phone call, and USPS letter.