As excitement builds towards the 626, the mammoth car-free festival spanning six cities on, you guessed it, June 26, #DamienTalks with Michael Cacciotti. Cacciotti is the Mayor Pro-Tem of South Pasadena and has been a critical figure in the effort to create the 626 and organize the half-dozen cities that are taking part as well as officials with the County, Metro, and the Air Quality Management District.

Want to know more about the 626? Click here.

I’ll be honest, this is one of the more fun interviews I did. Cacciotti wasn’t just one of the driving forces behind the 626, he was also a Board Member for the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority. I conducted our phone interview while he was doing his evening commute home, and as a bonus he talked about how the Gold Line extension is working and how packed his rail car was. It was 9 p.m. On a Wednesday.

New Gold Line extensions. The 626. Things are changing in the San Gabriel Valley, and they’re changing for the better.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”