Published Sunday, October 8, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News
Bob Cabral, 62, train advocate
Supervisor helped promote Altamont rail line
BY ELISE BANDUCCI
Mercury News
San Joaquin County Supervisor Bob
Cabral, known as the father of the
popular ACE commuter trains that run
from Stockton to San Jose, died of a
heart attack Wednesday. He was 62.
Mr. Cabral, a supervisor since 1993, was
the first chair of the Joint Powers
Board that governs the Altamont Commuter
Express trains that were launched in
1998. The trains allow commuters to
avoid the gridlock on Interstate 680's
Sunol Grade, the second-most congested
roadway in the Bay Area.
``We called him the father of the ACE
train because it was his initiative and
drive that brought this into being,''
said San Jose City Councilwoman and
joint powers member Charlotte Powers.
``It was his vision for the need to
reduce the congestion on the Sunol Grade
which really led to the formation of the
Joint Powers Board,'' she said. The
board is made up of representatives from
Santa Clara, Alameda and San Joaquin
counties.
The ACE trains have become a huge
success. Powers said a report last month
showed the train had 2,000 riders a day
from Stockton to San Jose. ``And that is
standing-room only.''
Mr. Cabral was also a founding member of
the Inter-Regional Partnership, a
collaboration among San Joaquin,
Stanislaus, Contra Costa, Alameda and
Santa Clara counties to balance housing
and jobs.
``He was a wonderful man who understood
that most of our problems are regional,
and he worked tirelessly to achieve
regional cooperation,'' said Santa Clara
County Supervisor Pete McHugh, who
worked with Mr. Cabral on the
partnership.
Mr. Cabral's third term as a San Joaquin
County supervisor would have begun in 2001.
From 1986 until becoming a supervisor, he
was executive manager/secretary of the
San Joaquin Farm Bureau, according to a
news release from the San Joaquin County
Board of Supervisors.
Mr. Cabral was a board or committee
member for Delta College, Modesto Junior
College and Escalon High School. He was
on the board of the Council of
Governments in San Joaquin County and
vice chair of the San Joaquin County
Rail Commission, the news release said.
He also served as a director of the San
Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control
District and on the Agricultural
Advisory Board, among other positions.
He was an operations manager for Castle
& Cooke/Ames Mercantile Division from
1959 to 1970.
Born and raised in San Joaquin County,
he graduated from Ripon High School in 1955.
``The passing of Supervisor Cabral will
clearly leave a void on the board of
supervisors not only because of his
expertise and his charm, but we're going
to miss his good nature,'' San Joaquin
County Supervisor Steven Gutierrez said.
Powers said that part of what inspired
Mr. Cabral on the ACE project was his
concern that people be home with their
families instead of stuck in traffic.
``We will miss him,'' she said. ``He was
. . . very dedicated to the people of
San Joaquin County.''
Bob Cabral
Born: Nov. 25, 1937, in French Camp.
Died: Oct. 4, 2000, in Escalon.
Survived by: Wife, Jean; children,
Robert Jr., Claudia and Kathleen; and
mother, Adeline.
Services: Rosary 7 p.m. Monday at
St. Patrick's Church, Escalon. Mass 10
a.m. Tuesday at St. Patrick's Church.
Memorial: Donations may be made to the
San Joaquin Farm Bureau, Agricultural
Education Foundation, Bob Cabral
Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box
8444, Stockton, Calif. 95208.
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