Norm Mineta, Bush's new Transportation Secretary and a former Bay Area politician, recently presented a $79 million check to aid the BART extension to the San Francisco Airport. The funding, which is only part of the $1.48 billion extension, was seen among local policy-makers as a signal of the Bush administration's support of Bay Area transit improvements. With an additional $80.6 million to be allotted in Bush's 2002 budget, local transportation officials who may have once doubted the new administration are beginning to feel more confident. In response to controversy over a Santa Clara County extension, Mineta, whose past projects include fighting to allow local transit officials the right to budget federal funds, urged Bay Area communities to band together for the good of the entire region.
Thanks to California 2000 Project
