Region receives ARRA grants for local public transportation

A series of 50 grants for public transportation totaling $1.2 billion were awarded on Aug. 13 by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, as part of the nation’s stimulus economic package signed on February by President Barack Obama. The southern California region will receive $95.4 million.

These grants are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and aim to improve and refurbish old and worn buses, purchase paratransit units and new buses, and increase security in dozens of buses, trains, and urban train depots of cities and towns across the country.

Locally, the cities that will benefit are Lompoc, San Diego, Claremont, Commerce, and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority. In Claremont, two 25-foot long buses to transport disabled riders will be purchased with $124,728.

“The Recovery Act was put in place quickly to rescue the economy from the worst recession since the Great Depression and rebuild it for a stronger future,” said LaHood. “Rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure is a key part of that prescription for strength. It creates jobs today and builds a better, more sustainable economy moving forward.”

Since the president signed ARRA into law, grants totaling more than $4.2 billion have been made available for transit improvements throughout the nation.

“These funds are creating jobs now while investing in the future of our transit systems,” said Peter Rogoff, an administrator with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). “The public’s demand for transit service continues to grow, and these dollars will help meet that need.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation has made $48.1 billion available for highway, road, transit, bridge, and airport construction and repairs nationwide. Of that, $23.9 billion already has been slated to fund nearly 7,500 approved projects in cities, entities and most states.

In southern California, this is how the grants will be spend:

• City of Lompoc: $1.3 million to purchase one 40-foot replacement coach, two American with Disabilites Act vans, four 30-foot replacement buses, security improvement and safety equipment.

• Southern California Regional Rail Authority: $21.9 million to fund safety and capacity improvements on the Metrolink system; positive train control on the Metrolink System.

• City of Commerce: $581,682 to purchase one 35-foot low-floor bus and transit management software.

• City of Claremont: $124,748 to purchase two 25-foot paratransit buses.

• San Diego Association of Governments: $73 million to fund construction of the multi-modal transit center, rail electrification, track improvements and a bridge replacement; design and construction of the trolley wayside and trackway modifications including stations to support new low-floor vehicle operations on the Blue Line.

EEOC files lawsuit for wrongful firing of disabled

A woman who was unlawfully fired because of her disability by Aveva Drug Delivery Systems Inc., a Florida manufacturer of medical patches, received the aid of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), agency that filed a lawsuit against the company for wrongful termination.

The EEOC lawsuit, filed in Miami Aug. 3, states that Aveva Drug Delivery Systems discriminated against an employee with a disability who receives dialysis treatments for her disease called ‘End Stage Renal Disease’. The employee, a 50-year old woman, carried a catheter in her arm used for dialysis treatment. She injured her arm at work, and required medical treatment and a leave of absence.

Aveva fired the woman after she came back from the leave of absence related to the treatment of her arm and disability, the EEOC filed.

“Too many employers still discriminate against individuals with disabilities based on myths, fears or stereotypes,” said Jacqueline McNair, director of the EEOC’s Miami district office. “We brought this lawsuit because the underlying purpose of the ADA is to eliminate employment discrimination for individuals with disabilities who are qualified to do the job. Employers must remember that disability does not mean inability.”

This conduct violates Title I of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), McNair said. EEOC filed the lawsuit after first attempting to reach a settlement with Aveva out of court.

Aveva Drug Delivery Systems develops, researches, and manufactures patches that, attached to the human skin, help smokers to stop consuming cigarettes.

Nora E. Curtin, regional attorney for EEOC, said employers should learn disabled employees have a right to keep their jobs if they need prompt medical attention.

“Workers with disabilities should not have to choose between keeping their jobs and getting medical treatment. Employers must treat disabled employers with dignity and respect and not discard them as liabilities.”