VTA Set To Receive $20M In Funds To Recover From Mass Shooting

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is set to receive $20 million in state funding to assist the transit agency in recovering from last month’s mass shooting at the Guadalupe Rail Yard.

The funding, presented as emergency amendments to the state budget that was set to be voted on Monday, would be used to make repairs and safety upgrades at the rail yard, help VTA resume light rail service and provide aid to VTA workers and their families.

State Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) and Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) made the budget requests, which include $10 million for “worker support and facility improvements” and $10 million for “worker assistance, including mental health services, worker training and retraining.”

“This deal is certainly not all that will be necessary, but it will address the very immediate and urgent need that exists right now to ensure that VTA and our community can rebuild in the aftermath of this tragedy,” Cortese said in a news release.

The May 26 shooting killed nine VTA employees. The shooter, who was also a VTA employee, took his own life. Nearly 100 coworkers witnessed the incident, and funds will be made available for mental health support like grief counseling, according to Cortese’s office.

“These funds for worker mental health support, relocation and retraining, and facility upgrades, are imperative to addressing the workforce’s health and wellbeing, rebuilding regional transit, and preventing future workplace violence,” Kalra said.

In a news briefing on Monday, local officials said that extensive repairs need to be made to the light rail site, especially the building where the shooting happened. Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said that the control center should be rebuilt, which would cost between $85 million and $150 million.

VTA suspended its light rail service after the shooting due to low levels of staffing, as the transit agency said it would prioritize its bus routes. It has yet to announce a date for service to resume.

“This money will give the Valley Transportation Authority the flexibility it needs to begin the long process of recovery and rebuilding after the deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history,” Chavez said. “I want to thank State Senator Cortese, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, and Governor Newsom for recognizing the severity of the challenges VTA faces as an organization, and responding with an immediate infusion of resources.”