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Hello Lydia,
For over a decade, community members organized and advocated for no-cost transit passes for San Diego youth. We were told the passes wouldn't be used. We were told young people would abuse the system. We were told "no" in a hundred different ways. Fortunately, none of those "no"s was enough to stop the community from fighting.
Finally, last year, in partnership with Mayor Gloria, Mayor Blakespear and Supervisors Fletcher and Vargas, we were able to tell the community "yes." The other week at SANDAG headquarters, less than a year after launching the Youth Opportunity Pass Pilot Program, we celebrated five million rides. That is five million rides by San Diego youth who were looking to access the opportunity to learn and grow and pursue their dreams and do it while establishing transportation habits that will help our community reach our climate action goals.
There was a lot running through my head as we celebrated the five millionth ride. The many hours I'd spent in that building with community members making our case for youth transportation and the frustration we felt when our requests were not met. The students, organizers, neighborhood leaders, and coalition partners who I'd worked with and had become sources of inspiration and longtime friends. I also started thinking about what comes next -- securing passes for young adults.
I am often asked what I enjoy most about being in elected office. Always included in my response is the satisfaction that comes from having worked on an issue with community prior to serving on Council and now being in a position to help push that cause past the finish line. Seeing the Youth Opportunity Pass program come to life and flourish makes me even more motivated to work with community to bring more of our long- fought for ideas to fruition.
With gratitude,
Sean
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