After a lengthy selection process, the AC Transit Board of Directors has appointed Joel B. Young to fill the District's at-large seat vacated by Rebecca Kaplan. Kaplan was elected to the Oakland City Council in November.

Young, a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Law, is a former associate attorney with Gunderson Dettmer in Menlo Park, CA, a former field organizer for Senator Loni Hancock's political campaign, and the son of a man who drove a bus for 19 years.

"For AC Transit to progress as a premier transit organization, board members must be strong, courageous and ready to work. I stand ready and eager to do the job,'' Young told the Board.

Young, one of 17 candidates vying for the job, will fill the remainder of Kaplan's term which expires in December 2010. Young is expected to begin his tenure immediately with an informal swearing-in ceremony prior to the Board's regularly scheduled meeting at 5:00 p.m. today. A formal public swearing in ceremony is pending.