Embattled BART Spokesman Linton Johnson has been officially removed from his position as the face of the transit organization.
BART made the announcement in a release saying that Johnson, who had come under fire for his handling of protests in response to a fatal shooting by agency police officers, will still remain with the organization but will be reassigned.
In a statement the agency said:
Linton Johnson has been appointed to the position of Strategic Program Manager for External Affairs. He will work with BART departments to develop and implement large scale communications strategies for major District programs. Some of these programs include the planning and acquisition of a new rail car fleet for BART, a pilot project to place digital screens on station platforms to improve communication of important messages and public information, and the on-going roll out of the Clipper Card, among other initiatives
Johnson will keep his current salary and BART told The San Francisco Chronicle that his reassignment was not a punitive measure.
The former television reporter has been on leave from the agency for 12 weeks to deal with a personal matter.
Johnson returned to work Monday but was reassigned.
Jim Allison and Luna Salaver from BART's Communications Department served as the agency's press liaisons during Johnson's leave.
They will remain in their positions for the time being but BART will look for a full-time person to replace Salaver who is on loan from Capital Corridor.
