REGIONAL MEETING MINUTES

February 19, 2003 1. Announcements: 2. Initiative Updates and Discussion a. Transit to GGNRA and other parks - handout National Parks Conservation Association is a non-profit promoting transit alternatives, diversity and bike/ped safety/access, working to increase federal dollars going to alternative transportation to state and national parks - Better Parks Transportation Choices Campaign. NPCA is starting a model parks program, including Yosemite and GGNRA. GGNRA is taking leadership in alternative transportation. Endorsements include: MCBC, TLC, Aaron Peskin, SFBC and other bike coalitions. Approach is supply-side, not TDM at this point, except fee for parking at Ft. Baker. NPCA is also working with the Presidio, and extending the EF line along the waterfront towards the Presidio/GG Bridge. b. Bridge Toll Increase - handout. Sen. Perata is going to wait until March to introduce the bill in the state legislature, and spend the intervening time to rally support among Bay Area legislators. He wants a fee, not a tax, with a strong nexus between money and projects. If it is controversial in Sac., he will bring it to the 7 bay counties (not Napa, Sonoma). TALC needs to build more support before this is conceived. c. Contra Costa Sales Tax. CCTA is taking lead on development expenditure plans. TALC is working with Greenbelt Alliance, transit unions, Central Labor Council to put together platform. Members: BART isn't involved. EBART is part of the tax submission, along with seismic and capital improvements. Strategy sessions are scheduled by TALC - see website for details. d. VTA bus cuts. VTA voted 9-2 to make 9% transit cuts. They are spending $5million per month from reserves to stay afloat. Santa Clara county renews its sales tax in 2006. Members: TRANSDEF is exploiting inconsistencies in the VTA situation. Fare box recovery is 12%, increase in recovery could generate large portion of debt. e. Wal-Mart in Fremont/Warm springs BART? Moving their way up I-5 to Bay Area. They only pay minimum wage, and they fight all labor organizing. Fremont is interested, because city has a lack of retail. Target moved in nearby. Wal-Mart wqill generate an estimated 8,000 car trips per day, and it is ½ mile from the future Warm Springs BART. Members: Motion to oppose Wal-Mart, seconded. March 27 is a planning commission meeting. They will most likely vote on the project at this meeting. UFCW is forming a coalition with Vallejo group to resist Wal-Mart in the Bay Area. Sign-on letter from other orgs would be helpful. Letter template is available from UFCW. TALC press rally on March 25? We will tie-in to our upcoming Best and Worst Developments Report. VOTE: Vote tally is delayed until abstains vote, then TALC board will make determination. f. West Oakland Transit Village Members: Emergency Services Network and another TALC member group are spearheading support drive. Richmond transit village has broken ground. VOTE: Aye - unanimous 3. Sixth Annual Summit Registration has begun. Online and mail-in registration is available. www.transcoalition.org or 510.740.3150. Mailing has gone out with flyer and registration form. 4. Housing and Smart Growth TALC is in strategic planning phase around this issue. Input from members at this meeting was facilitated by Rachel Peterson (formerly Urban Ecology ED and TALC Board President). TALC strategic planning Overall results of dots per item: Item Dots support smart growth projects 10 Regional gas tax 10 Q of L calculator 6 Condition new transit on good TOD 5 Regionalism training 5 Expand TLC/HIP 4 YIMBY activist trainings 4 Keeper of ABAG smart growth vision 3 Educational tools 2 MTC/ABAG merger 1 Sales tax expenditure process trgs 0 Notes on specific items: 1. Keeper of ABAG smart growth vision -Would TALC be in competition with the Alliance? Or replicating their work? -Is ABAG truly committed to the vision? What would TALC do if ABAG backs away? -ABAG is caught between advocates who want more housing & cities that want less housing -If TALC assumes this role it should focus on vision not on #s -What if the vision changes? 2. Protector of infill sites -Watch language! Better put: Support transit-oriented smart growth projects -Don't focus on individual projects but on common themes -As a regional organization TALC is powerful but needs local relationships in order to be effective -Don't define infill too narrowly - include reuse, suburban sites -Consider role of guidance in brownfields cleanup -Protect the transit potential of sites -Create standards for communities to use in development 3. Run regional campaigns: -A highly appropriate role for TALC 3a. Expand TLC & HIP -TLC & HIP will always need more $ and more oversight -Do we predict a maximum point at which TALC won't be able to convert more transportation $ to smart growth $? -Good way to promote community planning 3b. Regional fees & credits for good -Can $ be used from a regional gas tax for smart growth planning? (not likely) 3c Condition new transit on TOD -Will this be enforceable? -Great idea -Possible conflict because transit operators might become a target of a campaign 3d(added) TALC support / campaign for an ABAG / MTC merger 4. Local campaign support 4a. Quality of life calculator -Too technical / complicated? -Will it be free & available on TALC's website? 5. Transportation for a Livable Region The agenda packet included 1-a 4-page template that could be followed for each county section of the TLR report: presenting the vision / what the vision looks like on the ground / and how we get there (transportation, land use, housing, and smart growth project and program lists) 2-a copy of the list of the "universe" of regional projects. The regional projects, along with all the county projects, are also available for comment online: http://www.transcoalition.org/C/sus_trans_c/tlr/TLR_public.html Input on the lists will be gathered over the next month over email, through the website, as well as by phone and in person from Coalition members. There will be a regional TLR group at the Summit, and the county lists will be mulled over at the chapter meetings after the summit. After this input, this "universe of possible projects" will transform into more of an actual platform. Members: Irwin Dawid suggested that TALC contact its member and affiliate organizations to ask them directly for feedback on TLR. And has the 'Getting the Price Right' section of World Class Transit been neglected? 6. Green-TEA - handout Kristi Kimball of STPP provided an update on TEA-3. Many elements of the reauthorization were presented for TALC support. Members: Include support of improved transbay terminal, BRT system in east bay (first in CA, MTC and AC Transit have agreed to support), and Caltrain electrification - really is an air quality project - and frame this and Transbay project as one element. Include aspects from the new UC Berkeley Environmental Justice handbook. Motion to support the 5 point flyer and the three projects above: Irwin, John seconded. VOTE: Aye - unanimous 7. Adjourn meeting