Taxpayer funds allegedly misused by ex-Caltrain workers to turn stations into homes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มี.ค. 2024
- Jose Martinez reports on an alleged scheme by two former Caltrain workers to misuse funds in order to build private residences at train stations.
California spends $600k to create a single residence for the homeless. Perhaps these guys should be hired to run that department if they are so good keeping costs down.
they didn’t spend any money buying the land. also the building was already built. Obviously a renovation is going to caught a lot less than new development
only $50,000. Who are these cheap contractors they hired.
They were working several days ago on a bridge in Baltimore
I wonder who blew the whistle on them?
@@garycallihan4206 too soon!
@@Uvoted4this
the underpaid contractors
They kept it under radar by keeping the jobs under $3000 which doesn't need approval.
If it had been legitimately there would have been years of environmental review and a cost of multiple millions for 2 dwelling units.
We want a video tour of the apartments we paid for. And they were able to create 2 units of employee housing for $50,000. Maybe they should make restitution by building more employee housing for free. LOL
At that price they should be in charge of building homes for the homeless
Maybe they got fired because they showed the state how to create low cost housing. "Dude, the Home Key program is supposed to cost at least half a million per unit. We can't get any kickbacks at $50k!"
These should be available for train operators who need rest or staff or remote working offices. But wow personal use!
Joe Navarro and Seth Woorden. Man, I spoke with Navarro and did a report on this dude. I was crushed to learn that he was doing this. You made over 200 k a year my guy. You made enough for a home to live in
Soo
I make only 60 K a year but I did not cheat public money like these gentlemen. Shame on you.
Rich crooks - put liens on their assets until they pay back + interest. Despicable.
In the SF Bay Area, $200k/year is nothing. There are some homeless making $200k/yrs. Lol
Goes to show you there is Zero oversight of CalTrain and other transportation organizations like BART. There needs to be more oversight.
Nice shot of kids crossing tracks in front of the “No Crossing” sign with a train en route!
Finally, Taxpayer funded Transit Oriented Development.
I would go to jail if I stole a mere $5 from a parking meter, *so why are these people allowed to steal thousands of dollars from the taxpayers???*
The corrupt Democrats do it everyday!
We're gonna have to arrest you for asking that question.
I'm afraid you're looking at 3 to 5.
They weren't ALLOWED. They stole, and there are legal consequences.
It's aloud because it's run by the government and they're real good at stealing other peoples money!
I don't know if they were "allowed", they are going to jail after all
I try to not be angry with people, but it's hard not to rail against these guys.
But, really, $50K? They should be ashamed of themselves. How can they hold up their heads as representatives of the State of California when that's all the corruption that they can manage, over a several-year period? I thought that there were standards to uphold!
Take their pensions.
💯🎯
You dare ! You are dealing with one of a powerful California public worker Union, the CalTrain. Your case will be dismissed in one seconds.
wow, what nerve! I wonder how they managed to do all that renovation without being seen carrying equipment & materials in & out.
Just in.
Good question
@@garycallihan4206 If you open up walls to add/replace plumbing, there is always debris going out.
Its like the people that do nothing when they see an old asian woman attacked .
I wonder who blew the whistle on them?
The problem is that their is no inspection to the station to ensure the restoration work is progressing. The corruption likely goes deeper than those two guy.
Much ado about nothing. Overnight workers need rest, so a little place for them to lift their feet up is cool, cheap $50K compared to the S.F. $5M toilet. Who woulld want to live long term right next to a train track anyways.
Somebody won't be late for work. 😊
Yes. Good idea. Turn all the train stations into living residences, and have more of them along the train line.
Instead of regular trains you'd have trolleys going slower.
The parking lot would be a garden.
Finally State money used for something useful and people are complaining. If they spent the money repaving a parking lot that didn't need it, that would be okay?
A man cave at taxpayers expense. LEGENDARY
all that risk and effort to be tortured by insane train noise all day everyday lol
Trains only make noise when they pass. Since cars pass 24/7, unlike trains, they bombard you with noise at all times. Reminds me of someone...
Cars make noise 24/7 as they pass by at any time. Caltrains don't operate during the night hours and come every 30 mins during waking hours at their most popular stations. Better to be next to a train line than a highway.
Who's going to complain when their using tax payer money and it's free considering the cost of homes in the bay area.
It's weird beyond belief.
Probably for their mistresses. lol.
I would not want to live where I freaked with every knock of the door.
What lead them to do this?
Landlord greed?
Employer greed?
Their own greed?
It’s got to be that bad that they decided it was worth it to live on a loud train station and risk being caught and thrown in jail for it.
Salary was almost 200k year. They were just taking advantage of the system. I bet using money saved to party and buy things
I grew up in Burlingame, that station is very cool. What they converted was the old freight depot. The station was built in the 1800s. The Spanish roof tiles were salvaged from the San Carlos mission ruins. You can still see the fingerprints from the Indians that formed the tiles against their legs. Those roof tiles are all that remains of the San Carlos mission.
Another example of out of control Big Government.
I love how they drastically cut their commute time to work.
Meh, the biggie was BART, where employees were year after year racking up mind-blowing hours for "overtime". One Chinese sweep-up guy was coming into "work" before the sun came up, would immediately enter a side-door behind which he basically maintained a small 2nd home, then he would exit "work" at maybe 10 pm. He did that every single day, making $250,000 per year cruising the internet and playing cards. A SWEEP-UP GUY.
I'm not against the general idea of having an on-site residence for some kind of caretaker for properties like this. It's actually a pretty good idea that could help keep down vandalism and search forth. Nonetheless, these clowns did it on the down low and in a backhanded way that's unacceptable. Had they just suggested it directly, there might have actually been some merit in the idea.
Exactly, but I think insurance won’t accept it , 24 he security perhaps, but living quarters require a whole lot of permits & inspections, to my knowledge.
well at least someone is building some homes
Whaaat!? I lived right by there on Myrtle. Never knew that was going on.
Crooks
Not to justify it, but geezus how unused is all that space going that it took that long for anyone to notice it? Is like one person responsible for all the CalTrains stuff at any particular station?
Bingo! I remember when these (Palo Alto) stations were used by the public with waiting and rest rooms inside. Now it is Too expensive to service. Maybe paying the top dogs less would leave money for a full time property Janitor.
The Burlingame stop is a platform. The station is basically a historical landmark.
He was providing free security monitoring to prevent vandalism.
Delusional
Selfish …. Greedy
WHY ARE WE NOT SUPPRISED ! ITS CALIFORNIA AFTER ALL !
Small beans. They spent one years worth of rent payments in Burlingame.
Your "man-on-the-street" interviewee claimed that the criminal "should" make enough money to get a home. Well? How much do their jobs pay?
They stole money and property and became a squatter with tax dollars
@@katiesiouxlamoureaux7757 They didn’t steal, they misappropriated funds.
His side chick busted him out🤣
This is being handled horribly!
These guys should be held responsible for the money they spent and ASKED HOW THEY DID IT SO CHEAP!!! California needs more folks thinking like this. I’m pretty sure $50k wouldn’t have covered the permits but…
And just as I suspected, money missing from Caltrain and HSR.... goes to this. You'd think after the first time they caught someone, they'd check ALL their stations for things like this, but nope, took another 2 years for them to find it. C'mon...the anonymous caller was the buddy who was caught.
oh my god, you can only hope and pray that only $50k is mismanaged for HSR. that would demand a reward for frugality.
Whose name was the electric bill under? Water bill? Any insurance? Mail delivered?
Corruption and misuse of funds isn't just a government thing. When I worked for a Trucking company the president of the company would send the head of building maintenance (my boss) and me to go work on his houses and his farm. The president didn't own C&H Trucking, shareholders did. But, we were paid by the company, even when working on his house and other things of his. He'd bring in his farm tractors for the truck shop to work on. He brought a bunch of old Hunter ceiling fans that he bought at an auction and had our maintenance department rewire them and refurbish them and then had us install them in two of his homes. Eventually after I left, C&H Trucking filed for bankruptcy and closed it's doors! I imagine all that misuse of company funds had something to do with it!
Yeah corruption is like a cancer and can stay festering in a large corporation or large government. Every organization should be required to get independent audits...
They did it in 2020 and werent fired then ? But were allowed to do it again in 2022 ? Somebody at the top covered for them and should be fired as well. Those jokers should have to pay the taxpayers money back plus rent as well
They can rent that out for profit 😂🤣
props for outside the box thinking I guess...
Thats the literal definital of "workforce housing".
A few blocks from there, there are people living in a place for free, and the owner doesn't have an idea about it.
Squatters, and public ex employees to boot. What kind of people take such an advantage of public trust?
Free, free, and more free. Not paying because it's all free free and more free.🤬🤬🤬
What about the puc at crystal springs ? What about those houses?
The Housing Program workers and Homeless industry workers are sweating after hearing $50k for 2 rooms
Apparently, the rent is too damned high!
So what now? Are the supervisors moving in to these clandestine units?
Yet these criminal clowns will still collect a pension. This will end when people in the service of the public and elected officials are held accountable with the threat of losing any compensation paid for by the taxpayers !
How the government prevents homelessness.
It’s human nature that no satisfaction whatsoever they can get away with it, until they get caught.
Resourceful!
Best friend or an ex.
I wonder how much of CAHSR has been diverted for personal use?
As a train fan, I always wanted to live in a train station 😮
I'll bet the ultimate plan was to rent these out as AirBnb.
Good work.
Now figure out how CHSRA went from $40bn for 800 miles and is now projected to be $130bn for just LA to SF with no mention of the original sections to Sacramento and San Diego in the latest business plan and with no promise that the entire original plan will ever be completed.
Read ' High Stealth Rail ' by Thomas Buckley at The Point on Substack published today 3/31/2024 for a fuller exposition of the real elephant in the room for California railways instead of this whimsical piece of fluff.
Take away part of their pensions!
Since they management, they were able to fire them. If they were union, they would probably still be employed.
But were any automatons in the apartments?
Some one blew the whistle ? ex-wife or ex-girlfriend.
Really stupid to throw away high paying jobs like this
If they’d renovated their personal homes then a criminal prosecution would be appropriate, they renovated CalTran property for personal use
Make them pay appropriate back rents and give them deferred prosecution agreements
They must repay all of it.
Makes me mad as this affects commuters
This is a surprise how?
I want a tour with mid trendy music playing in the background.
Snitch
I wonder who blew the whistle on them?
I honestly don't see a problem with this. In fact I think rail workers should have mini devoted trackside dorms.
Someone snitched on them 😅
Squatters rights
They,sound like London Breed friends. She has all these thieves around her.
London Breed is the Mayor of San Francisco.
Burlingame is many miles south of San Francisco.
You don't have friends do you?
No one is dumb enough.
lol honestly yes they should be in trouble but sounds like nice additions to the buildings ! And really having full time employees on site might be good
I wanna know who was the snitch
Love it !
Squatters 2.0..
most of us just want to get from point a to point b. not embezzled. Crooks liars and cheats. But for sure, no pension. ha ha.
actually you want to get from point a to point b and not know when you are being embezzeled. when you pay taxes to be patriotic you are happy.
Next, we turn to an old guy that likes trains.
welcome to america, transit becomes single family homes
You voted for this.
Keep on approving tax increases and this is what happens. Always vote down tax increases.
California has become a GRIFTERS Paradise!
Pay attention Caltrain
They should claim “squatters rights” since California allows everyone else to do it.
What a stupid news show I had watched.... I suggest YOU ALL to woke up!! Every Rail Crossing in should have a station that operates by an rail road employee(s) that should be present there at ALL TIMES!! In Europe regardless of an area (urban or rural) employees requires to live on the property and normally has small living quarters for themselves and or their family.
US have lots of rail road tragedies every year, because of lack of that employees or necessary housing conditions such as kitchenette, bathroom/shower or a rest area. Cities Fire Departments equipped more better with full dining/living and sleeping quarters, kitchen with commercial cooking appliances, refrigerators/freezers and food on the same taxpayers money regardless they have fire calls or just a standbys. Many would probably say: This is because fireman job are too dangerous... What it about rail road employees that work on the stations and in R/R Crossing and responsible to communicate with train operators and dispatcher open and close crossing road area take control of pedestrians and motorists and perform safety measures in the event of lights distinction or intersection accident.
What happens now??? 🤡💩🤑
This is normal but they need more of our money
Cartel hold outs ?
Old news?
All said and done, Caltrain will take advantage of this situation and lease them out or make money on them somehow. Taxpayers will never know the outcome...
Is this structional positioning for mi-grunts, not your grunts?
Pocket change compared to what's going on in Sacramento and Washington.
Lmfao California go figure
1:16 / It's not Cal trans money, it's the public's money ,,,
He said "Caltrain" not Caltrans. Caltrain is governed by agencies of the counties in which it operates. Caltrain money is also public money, but "Caltrain money" is more relevant here as it indicates accountability.
Look at it this way… he just built a better break room. Stop the fussing.
The reporter can barely speak English.
He speaks better than you do 😂
Creative, industrious workers treated like criminals ... dumb