16 Attachment 3 - Public CommentATTACHMENT 3
From: Heidi Owens
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2020 7:56 AM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Comments on Public Hearing Items for April 21, 2010 Los Gatos Town Council Meeting
Hello Town of Los Gatos,
I would like to make the following comments on agenda items for the April 21, 2020 meeting.
I support the continuation of partial payment to Student Transportation Inc, which is
noteworthy to mention is headquartered out of state. The payment should be earmarked as
applicable for driver payment only, and not to cover administrative and managerial costs. I am
hearing from my community of friends and family that the EDD unemployment office is
overwhelmed with requests and they are having trouble processing claims and making
payments. I would like to see the local drivers who presumably live within commute distance of
Los Gatos paid because I'm not certain that they will be able to get State unemployment
assistance in a timely manner. The Town staff report mentions high turnover and difficulty
recruiting drivers, so one may presume that whoever was most recently driving may not meet
the minimum time of employment to receive EDD payments. This is not a high paying job and
the money may be a critical source of income for the drivers. In terms of small business
support, there are programs at the Federal and State level that will support ongoing operations
of Student Transportation Inc for other administrative and managerial costs. One of the
requirements of the Federal program is that small business keep a percentage of
their employees on the payroll, so a partial payment from the Town to keep the driver on staff
will help the company achieve that requirement. However, I support whatever decision the
Council makes because this is not a clear-cut issue and well-argued counterpoints could easily
sway my position.
Thank you!
Heidi Owens
Los Gatos Resident and Community Organizer