The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which runs Caltrain, elected new officers for 2006.

San Jose District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager was chosen unanimously to serve as its chairman, and Jose Cisneros was elected to serve as the vice chairman.

Yeager is also on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority board and served as vice chairman on the Joint Powers Board in 2005.

Yeager has worked on improving the quality of transportation and transit options in Silicon Valley for a number of years. This year the Vasona Light Rail extension was completed and opened in October. A significant portion of the 5.3-mile extension runs through Yeager's district.

The Caltrain board has nine members, with representatives from San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. The board meets the first Thursday of each month.

Caltrain fares go up
starting January

Caltrain implemented a 5.6 percent increase to its base fare on Jan. 1. The base fare for a one-way ticket will increase by 25 cents. Zone charges will not go up.

This is the second of a two-phase fare increase that was approved by the Caltrain policy board last spring to address the railroad's significant budget shortfall, which has been further exacerbated by higher fuel costs.

The increase is expected to raise $600,000 during the remaining six months in the current fiscal year, or $1.2 million annually.

Senior, disabled and youth one-way fares will remain unchanged.

Foundation awards
grants for the arts

Community Foundation Silicon Valley is accepting general support grant applications from small to mid-size arts organizations through Jan 9.

The grants of $5,000 to $15,000, will be awarded as part of the foundation's "advancing the arts" initiative. These grants are designed to strengthen and connect local arts organizations to one another and to the community.

Grantees will have the opportunity to apply for a technical assistance grant of up to $1,500 for such things as marketing and promotion, short and long-term planning, board development, professional staff development and program assessment.

Additionally, grantees will meet at least twice during the year, attending workshops or networking with one another.

The grants are aimed at arts organizations with annual budgets between $50,000 and $2 million.

For applications, visit www.cfsv.org or call 408.278.2200.

Stranger in house
spotted by relative

A San Jose man was arrested on Jan. 4 on charges of burglarizing a Willow Glen home, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and evading and resisting arrest.

According to San Jose police spokeswoman Gina Teeporten, Cory Kobus, 20, had parked a black Isuzu Trooper inside a garage on Harmil Way and had left the garage door open around 12:15 p.m. A man, whose relative lived inside the house, walked by with a stroller and noticed the Isuzu in the garage. The individual also noticed Kobus in the garage and confronted him.

According to police, Kobus got in the Trooper and drove off. The man took down the license plate number and a description of Kobus and called the police.

The police contacted the homeowner and confirmed the stolen property and sent out a bulletin.

At about 2:20 p.m., officers at Willow Glen High School tried and failed to stop the vehicle at Lennon Way and Lincoln Avenue.

About five minutes later, the car was found parked on Lennon Way. The police spotted Kobus walking on the sidewalk between Radio and Curtner avenues, carrying a backpack, but when they approached him, he dropped the backpack and took off toward Newport Avenue. The officers recovered the backpack, which contained some of the stolen property.

The police set up a perimeter and did a yard-to-yard search. On Mazzallia Avenue, officers found a side garage door forced open and Kobus hiding in a back bedroom.