Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road - Region Rising.

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And now Rob on the Road, exploring Northern California.

I'm Rob Stewart.

Hi there, and thanks for joining us.

On this Region Rising, meet the man who's modernizing Sacramento's regional transit, Henry Li.

And later, a mother on a mission.

Marilyn Koenig with Friends for Survival.

But first, more on Sac R.T., the largest multi-modal regional transit provider in the capital region, which now includes on-demand services and a massive update.

Henry Li is joining us now, and it is such a pleasure to have you here and to spotlight you on Region Rising.

Good to see you, Henry.

Thanks for being here.

Thank you, Rob.

This is a true honor for me and for Sac R.T. Well, I'm...

I'm thrilled to have you and I'm thrilled to put the spotlight on some really hard work with fast results.

Allow me to give you a little bit of background information.

Right from the beginning of my tenure, we implemented a comprehensive program, quote, "clean, safe, and a commitment to bring back riders."

To further support our efforts, we installed over 1,000 live cameras throughout our entire system, which are monitored 24/7.

[Rob] Safety cameras.

[Henry] Cameras... cameras onboard, transit ambassadors and a P.A.

system, we were able to quickly address nuisance behaviors by directly communicating to our customers at each light rail station and in each light rail train, either in person or remotely.

And this effort resulted in a 180 degree turnaround of our system, and also American Public Transportation Association or APTA's Golden Award for light rail security in 2021 and in 2020.

And in the meantime, our transformation was recognized through many local, state and national awards, including the APTA 2019 CEO of the Year award and the APTA 2021 Outstanding System of the Year award in North America.

[Rob] Wow!

[Henry] So, this... is a snapshot of Sac R.T. [Rob] So, you know, I just have to drive home that we're talking about Sac R.T. and that these awards you're talking about are like the Academy Awards winning- for your industry- winning best film, uh, you know, "best picture" as well as "best director."

Did I hear that right?

[Henry] Yes.

[Rob] OK, good.

Good, good, good.

Also, I wanted to ask you- Uh, that's a lot to accomplish during tough times, then COVID, um- which you actually saw riders' numbers going up during COVID.

Yes.

When the COVID start, our, uh, you know, students and some, you know, um, uh, residents, they... they... they did not- they could not be able to get the... the... the... the internet service.

So, governor's office ask us to put a whole bunch of, uh, you know, Wi-Fi enabled buses in the disadvantaged communities, for them to use as, uh, telehealth, telestudy and- kind of work.

Wow, that's great.

And in addition to that, you know, um, we were the first agency in the nation to implement a large on-demand, microtransit program, like I mentioned earlier.

And it was so we... we are... we are building a innovative public-private partnership to build a state of the art electric charging solution for the region at our light rail- for the light rail station, which we have featured 20 charging stations for use by public in the first phase, with a plan to build 100 charging stations at this site, which could be the largest in the nation if completed or built.

Then, we were the first transit agency in the nation to implement a system-wide fare-free transit for over 265,000 school age children.

[Rob] Wow.

[Henry] And the... the program not only provides fare-free transit for youth to and from school, but it also removes the barrier to success by providing transportation for other activities, including internship, jobs and recreational activities, as well as creates lifelong transit riders and advocates by supporting working parents.

I love the fact that you remove barriers, that you are doing it because it's good to do, and then another result that comes back to you from that is that you create lifelong riders, simply because you're doing the right thing.

Um, and that's what this region needs- big thinkers who can say, "We can dream it, we can do it," right here, and you're doing that.

You're showing that.

You also are putting together, um, quite an intense, uh, process right now of modernizing some of your system.

Can you tell me about that and where it's going to be built?

In 2018, we launched a light rail modernization program to bring our stations, facilities and vehicles and infrastructure into a state of good repair.

The program has three key elements, with over $600 million, uh, investment needed.

So, first, it's light rail vehicle replacement with new, modern, low floor vehicles.

Second is the station conversions to accommodate the low floor vehicles.

The high floor vehicle versus low floor vehicle is a huge difference.

[Rob] It's tremendous.

[Henry] Yes, because for one, is it is truly a wonderful equity and accessibility improvement.

And lots of people with disability or without disability, if they carry, you know, bikes, whatever, it's very diffi... difficult to carry a bike, you know, uh, uh, you know, step- several steps to the high floor vehicles.

It's incredibly important, uh, for a large amount of people who use Sac R.T.

It's tremendous.

And a large amount who don't.

Yes, that's true.

So, the third key element is a new one mile- close to one mile double tracking to provide 15 minutes light rail, uh, service to the city of Folsom, uh, where many downtown commuters live.

Uh, we have been very fortunate in the last three, four years to have received over $400 million in state and federal grant funding to help accelerate our transition, including 44 new low floor vehicles.

We only need 70 new, uh, low floor, uh, vehicles.

Now, we very much secured the funding for 44 new floor vehicles, which are currently being built by Siemens in, uh, South Sacramento, creating jobs.

That's amazing.

That is so cool.

Yeah, I know.

It's about, like, a 400 million- about more than $300 million, uh, payment we're going to have to- you know, we... we... we will pay to Siemens.

So, they've hired more people to... to, uh, to work in our region.

Overall, our financial foundation is solid and strong.

While 80% of other transit agencies across the country will already have one or two year's COVID fund for their future operations, we have the COVID funding remaining, uh, for next four, even five years for our opera... operational shortage.

You know, that's interesting what you said about the local support, the... the measure, uh, that did not pass and the... the message that- just what the local input would do for... for our region.

You've been able to pull all of this off that we've talked about, but we have to, you say, invest, here, in this region, to show our interest as well.

And you can take it and multiply it through the roof.

Indeed.

Thank you for summarizing in that way.

But is it accurate?

This is truly accurate.

And we only- Like I said, we only receive one sixth of one penny.

Bay Area, you know, transit agencies, they receive up to one penny for the transit.

And L.A., they receive one and a half penny sales tax for the transit.

So- [Rob] Well, there you go.

That's a dramatic difference.

That's nine times difference.

Henry, you are working incredibly hard.

What keeps you motivated and what personally draws you to what you do?

What motivates me the whole time is really, uh, the... the needs of the citizens of- you know, across the region.

This region, lots of, uh, citizens, residents, they need better public transit, for their regular jobs, you know, uh, other activities, hospitals, grocery stores.

And, uh, um, we- They need more and better services.

So, their needs is the motivation of ours to do better.

Secondly, in the last seven years, I feel so, uh, grateful that I have received tremendous, I mean, tremendous partnerships and support and guidance collaborations, uh, from so many partners.

Personally, I want to do- If I... if I commit to something, I want to do my best.

And the more we do and the more encouragement that we receive, and- that actually motivate... motivate me to do better.

Transportation is vital, vital for a healthy region.

And it is a game changer for people's lives.

[Henry] Yes.

[Rob] And it's reassuring to know that you are at the helm of that organization making it happen, because I know our future is in good hands with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

♪♪ I'm thrilled that you are here, Marilyn Koenig.

It's great to see you, with Friends for Survival.

First of all, thank you for sharing your story with us today.

I'm happy to do it.

It's something you probably never thought you would, many, many years ago, I can only imagine.

No, I did not know anything about suicide.

I- And in fact, when my son died, it... it seemed so horrible and awful that I didn't want to know anything about suicide.

I...

I just- Why would I want to know about something so terrible?

And sadly, so many people were- at that point, were dying of suicide.

Let me ask you something.

I hear you saying something that I really want to point out- "died by suicide."

Yes.

We, um, as a community of suicide survivors and researchers and so on, in the last- oh, I don't know- ten, 15 years, 20 years, we have been trying to change the, um, the... the wording around suicide.

And so, say- Most people say "committed," and I did too.

I did that for a long time and maybe, sometimes, even now, that could possibly roll out of my mouth.

I don't think so, but I hope somebody calls me on it, if I do.

But "committed" always sounds like a crime.

And for most... most people now, we have worked really hard with media- Not our organization, but national.

There's been a national effort to change the verbiage around suicide and death.

And so, we could- What... what we suggest is you say either "died by suicide" or "took their own life," "ended their life," or in obituaries, sometimes, I've seen "died because of... of- as a result of depression."

And the crime, I think, is that there's not enough help and there's not enough removal of stigma for people who are suffering from depression, from, um, mental health concerns and illnesses, especially those that can be long growing or urgent or immediate, that come from flooding circumstances that just overwhelm.

And I...

I just have to say, first of all, keep going.

Keep going and pick up the phone and call somebody.

Ab... absolutely.

Um, it... it is so important to get some help because we all have ups and downs.

We all have bumps in the road in our lives.

And some of us, if you already have a tendency to be depressed and some of those bumps happen and some of these circumstances happen or maybe we made some wrong decisions or something in our personal lives, um, you really can go down the rat hole then.

And... and so, uh, sometimes, you just... you just need to let somebody know.

Um, you know, there's... there's times when I...

I hear stories about, you know, you come across someone in a waiting room somewhere and they're crying and... and somebody has the boldness to get up and sit next to that person and just put their hand on their shoulder.

And sometimes, that's what people really need.

Just need somebody who cares about their pain.

And I found that out after Steve died.

I will tell you that the best thing anybody did for me is to hold my hand while I cried and say nothing.

Because there are no words to describe the trauma that is associated with a suicide death.

There's- I...

I still cannot describe it.

I think many people that we work with say the same thing- "I can't describe it."

It is just horrifying.

It is so traumatizing.

And the reason why it is is- as opposed to another kind of death, is our loved ones died alone, most of the t- almost always, alone.

Sometimes, the circumstances are... are not- they're not alone.

But for the most part, they die alone.

We find out now that they were desperate, hopeless, and just couldn't go on any longer.

And we weren't there to soothe their pain, whether it was... whether it was mental or physical.

We weren't there at that time to soothe them and to let them know that we loved them, we're here, we're going to help you, we're not going to leave you, we're going to be with you.

But their pain is so intense that they go off- it may be in their bedroom, in your home, or they go off in a park or they go off somewhere- and decide to end their lives.

So, they were not trying to die.

Suicide is not about dying.

Suicide is about ending your pain, that it has become unbearable and you think that is the only option you have left, is to end your pain by killing yourself.

That is fascinating what you just said to me, that suicide is not about dying.

It is not about dying.

They don't want to die.

That's not their intent.

Their intent... their intent is not about dying.

Their intent is to end their pain, their situation.

And many people who have had serious mental diagnosis and illnesses have... have suffered for years and by the time they're 30 or 40 years, they can't do it anymore.

And I think they just get tired of trying.

We don't know.

Some of them leave notes and some don't.

And so, we really don't know what they're thinking.

Some people have written books about attempted suicide, and... and it's very, very clear in... in those books about how they attempted and how they got beyond it.

If they don't get some help and learn a little bit about suicide like I had to do, finally, um, there may be other people at risk in their home and... and in their extended family that they don't even know about or they're not alert to.

And research has shown that once you have a suicide- affect- once you are affected by the suicide of another, you are at four times the risk for having another suicide.

And the fact of the matter is, our description of a survivor that we work with is anyone who's been affected by the suicide death of another.

So, that includes teachers who lose... who lose students.

That includes first responders.

[Rob] Just about everybody.

[Marilyn] Everybody.

Oh, everybody.

You know, if you live long enough, I think, somehow or other, you're going to get affected somewhere along the line.

But it may not be the kind of effect where you would need to call us and that you, you know, you're really struggling with this or you want to learn something, figure out what happened in our family, what happened to my friend, what happened to my spouse.

Caring for people who are hurting and who are suffering, that... that act of caring and being there for someone is something that helps any region grow and thrive because it shows a genuine effort and... and putting a hand out, open, saying, "We care, we are here for you."

Have you seen any... any trends with all of the work you've done that shows a common thread?

Well, wonderfully, people are reaching out and they're- and... and of course, they're not feeling that extreme shame or stigma to the point that they won't reach out.

So, more people are asking and more people are opening up.

And when we started 40 years ago, there were only three books about suicide and grief, the grief connected with suicide.

And now, there's hundreds.

People are more open because- but... but- because they're seeing it on the media, they are seeing it, um, you know, in name- um, big name people that, uh, that are very visible, they now... they now acknowledge that it was a suicide.

Yes.

Yes.

And I...

I do want to ask you, when someone calls Friends for Survival, how do you convey hope and healing to someone who may feel completely hopeless and that they will never heal?

You know, there is, um, some- Um- I would say there... there are some thoughts about healing.

I don't know that we ever heal.

We get better and we learn how to journey through it, but there is some controversy regarding healing, um, closure- [Rob] Talk to me about that.

Talk- Dig into that.

[Marilyn] And closure is a word I hate.

This whole thing about putting a closure on something.

There's no closure on this.

Like, there is not closure on most deaths.

I mean, that's somebody you cared about, family in your family died or... or you knew- There's always a certain part of you is missing them or wish they were here, different times.

Yeah.

I don't want to close that door.

I...

I want to keep them alive in my heart and with me, around... around me, their... their living love.

Because they were a big part of our life.

We learned a lot from each other.

But when... when we... we first talk to someone, we- there's three different steps that our organization does.

And you... you have to do them only in this order or people cannot hear you.

Because you've got to say things that people can hear.

And sometimes, when you're so traumatized, you- it's hard to hear things.

So, first of all, you... you have to comfort person, which means you have to acknowledge their... their pain, acknowledge their loss.

And then, you can... and then, you can encourage them, but you can't encourage somebody until you acknowledge their pain.

Someb- You have to get- You have to have this heart-to-heart connection, first of all.

And after that, sometime down the road, you start educating people.

But- So, when I say comfort, it's just acknowledging their pain by saying, "I am so sorry you're going through this," and that's how I do it.

Sometimes, we don't use the word suicide a lot in our conversation, initially, because that word sometimes is so hard.

It is so harsh for people in the beginning, just the word suicide.

Sometimes, people can't say it for a long time.

So, just saying, "I am just so sorry that you're going through this," and mean it.

[Rob] Yeah.

[Marilyn] It has... it has to be genuine.

And then, you say that, and they will start talking and they will start opening their heart and they will say, "I can't stop crying."

I usually say, "You know, we were born with tear ducts for a reason.

Keep 'em washed out.

It's a good thing."

And it's good that you can cry.

It's a release and it... it can be- it's a very healthy thing.

And for- sometimes, some people can't even cry and that's all right, too.

So, everyone's journey is unique and it is their journey.

I have to say, Marilyn, just talking to you, you have hope in your voice.

You give off a light that... that makes me feel good and that I feel helps people along their journey in life.

And I am so honored to have you on this program because you help this region rise.

And you, um, you give wings to a lot of hope, including to me.

So, I thank you so much, Marilyn Koenig, Friends for Survival, for... for sharing your life in such a special way.

Well, thank you so much for the opportunity.

I really, really appreciate it.

And hopefully, more people will feel a little bit more open and willing to acknowledge their own grief and not be ashamed of it.

[Rob] And not to carry it alone.

[Marilyn] Yeah.

And you don't have to carry it alone.

You do not.

We can do it together.

Thank you so much.

♪♪ Thanks for joining us.

You can watch when you want at robontheroad.org ♪♪ Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road - Region Raising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.