Santa Clara VTA elects new leadership

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's (VTA) board elected Ash Kalra as chairman and Perry Woodward as vice chairman for 2014.

Kalra, who has served as vice chairman this year, will succeed Joe Pirzynski, a Los Gatos, Calif., town councilman. Kalra has been on VTA's board since 2009 and has been a member of VTA's Administration and Finance Committee, where he served as vice chair in 2012 and chair in 2013. He was elected to the City Council in San Jose, Calif. in 2008.

"VTA has an exciting year ahead from furthering work on the [Bay Area Rapid Transit] extension to Silicon Valley to establishing bus rapid transit throughout the county to working with a new general manager," said Kalra in a press release.

Woodward also served on VTA's board in the past year and on VTA's Administration and Finance Committee. He is the mayor pro tempore of Gilroy, Calif., and was elected to the City Council in 2007.