BART Officials Spending Big On Travel And Food

[RandySF]

If you live in the SF Bay area, this is sure to piss you off.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/20156220/detail.html

"As BART careens towards a possible strike, a KTVU Channel 2 News investigation has found the transit district’s management has spent millions of dollars on trips around the world and the nation and lavish meals at extravagant restaurants.

One expert told KTVU that the system's tracking of those expenses is the equivalent of throwing receipts in a cigar box.

BART management does not keep an electronic tracking system of its travel or dining and drinking expenses, instead still keeping often incomplete paper receipts in cardboard boxes stored in a government warehouse."

Here is the real kicker.

"And although BART’s top management says it has no plans to reform any travel, food, drink or miscellaneous expenses, it does have a list of what it calls important improvements for BART riders it cannot afford.
Those include $1.1 million for backing up PG& E power, $1.3 million for parking garage lighting and stairs costing $1.6 million – all well below the $2.4 million spent in the period examined."

[cboy4]

1. This is unfricken real!

Some of the key findings include:

* A $2,700 tab at Gallagher’s Steak House on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, one of the most expensive steakhouses in the nation. The meal was for 10 BART managers – at $270 a meal – and had no itemized receipt, a violation of BART’s official policy.

* A $751.40 bill for some BART employees, directors – and director’s wives – at a Georgetown restaurant dubbed the “power spot of the year.” The Café Milano bill included wine and even cognac, again against BART’s official policy.

* A $699.51 bill at the University Club, also on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The men’s only organization is akin to San Francisco’s Pacific Union Club, except it is exclusively for invited graduates of Yale University. The meal was said to be a “thank you” to employees of the New York City subway, who gave BART managers a “tour.” Again, no itemized receipt was provided, although as with all the other expenses, BART reimbursed the tab with taxpayer and fare gate money.

There are hundreds of travel expenses that include trips to cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro, international trips BART policy officially decrees must be approved in advance by BART’s general manager.

There are hundreds of trips across the United States as well, which need a lower level of approval. Some of the dozens of cities visited include New York and Washington, Pittsburgh and Chicago, New Orleans and Seattle, Los Angeles and Omaha.

One BART manager rented a room at San Francisco’s Westin Hotel “for staff to change into outfits for parade” during last year’s Gay Pride celebration. Cost to the public: $295.43. :wtf:

And BART is wondering why they're getting threats from riders now? :eyes:

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. K&R... where is the link?

[cboy4]

4. It's the link in the OP. The KTVU link.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/20156220/detail.html

[ourbluenation]

3. I know a bart official who gets reimbursed for all his bart travel, etc, & then writes off the expen

writes off the expenses on his taxes.

double dipping.

[cboy4]

5. Gee, what a shock....It just makes me shake my head even further after

hearing a marketing woman from BART yesterday on KGO radio whining about how mean and unfair the public is being in criticizing them. :eyes: