TALC Newsletter - Coalition Update

Coalition Update: December 2003

COALITION UPDATE is now a monthly email newsletter. (formerly a quarterly print publication - see Archives below). It contains articles about TALC's program initiatives, announcements and calendar items, and is a great source of information about recent TALC activities and victories.

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IN THIS ISSUE

1. Regional Meeting and Holiday Party - December 10

2. Support TALC Proposals for Lifeline Transit and Bike/Ped Funding - December 12 and 17 votes at MTC

3. TALC Releases New Report - Cleaning the Air, Growing Smarter

4. James Corless of STPP steps down - Job Opening

5. TALC Needs Volunteers in December and January

6. Calendar

7. Members In Action - Urban Ecology now hiring
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1. Regional Meeting and Holiday Party - December 10
Attend the Regional Meeting from 5:30-7pm, and Holiday Party, from 7-8pm, December 10, at the Sierra Club, 85 2nd St., SF, where we will discuss: a) Winning on TALC's Transit, Bike/Ped proposal for Transportation 2030 - We will hear from the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition and the Transportation Justice Working Group about how people can get active, and to finalize action steps. b) Winning the Bridge Toll Increase - Hear how member groups and activists can plug into the effort, and discuss a potential media action for February. For more information go to www.transcoalition.org or www.measure2.org. c) 7th Annual Summit - TALC's 7th Annual Summit will be Saturday, March 13. We are looking for ideas to reshape the event to make sure it is informative, fun, and provides opportunities to engage people on TALC's campaigns.

Come to Our Holiday Party!
TALC invites you to enjoy drinks, snacks, desserts, and each others company at our Holiday Party just after the Regional Meeting from 7-8pm, at the Sierra Club, 85 Second St., SF.

Meeting Agenda available here
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2. Support TALC Proposals for Lifeline Transit and Bike/Ped Funding - December 12 and 17 votes at MTC
Once again, TALC has developed alternatives to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's staff proposals in the Regional Transportation Plan (aka Transportation 2030). The MTC proposals would severely underfund Lifeline Transit, Transit Maintenance, and Bicycle and Pedestrian programs.

For more information on TALC's RTP campaign go to: http://www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_rtp/rtp_home.html, see TALC's regional set-aside memo, write the sample letter, and come to the Dec. 12 POC meeting at 10 am at MTC. We will also need people to turn out December 17 at 10 am, for the full Commission meeting.

For more info on the MTC meetings go to: Transportation 2030.
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3. TALC Releases New Report - Cleaning the Air, Growing Smarter

Cleaning the Air, Growing Smarter shows that particulate pollution from cars poses a dangerous and growing health threat and proposes transportation and land use changes to improve public health in Contra Costa County. For the past decade the county has averaged 18 days per year that it exceeded the state's standards on particulate matter. And while regulators expect emissions of many other pollutants to drop, they expect Contra Costa's particulate matter pollution to keep growing with no end in sight. The only way to significantly reduce particulate emissions and the resultant health effects from re-entrained road dust is to reduce driving.

Cleaning the Air, Growing Smarter presents specific policies, programs and investments that Contra Costa's leaders can take to reduce the public health impacts of the transportation system and land use patterns that are contributing to the rapid increase in vehicle travel, and includes several recommendations for reducing vehicle travel specifically within the county's environmental justice communities. With potential funding sources such as the bridge toll and the new Measure C slated for 2004, and with initiatives such as Shaping Our Future, Contra Costa has the opportunity to fundamentally shift its approach to transportation and land use and create a transportation future that improves both air quality and public health.

Read, download, or purchase a hard copy of the report.
(Free color hard copies for TALC Member Groups, 20% discount for TALC Affiliate Groups)
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4. James Corless of STPP steps down - Job Opening
James Corless, who opened the Surface Transportation Policy Projects' California office in 1998 and quickly became a statewide force for sustainable transportation, is stepping down as STPP's California Director. James had also been one of the founding members of TALC's Steering Committee and was a leader on some of TALC's earliest campaign successes. He has recently accepted a position with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, overseeing their land use and Smart Growth activities. This is a critical time for this new position as MTC grapples with implementing a policy that helps implement their Regional Smart Growth Strategy. We look forward to working closely with James in his new position.

For a description of the job opening please go to: www.transact.org/ca
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5. TALC Needs Volunteers in December and January
TALC is incredibly busy for the next two months and we could use your help! We have staff members who need assistance with program, web and administrative work, and TALC is most likely moving to a new office space in two weeks. If you are able to commit to two days per week at the TALC office in downtown Oakland until January, or one/two weekend or weekdays in December to help with the office move, then contact Robert Ping and we can discuss how to get you involved.

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6. Calendar

December 10 - TALC REGIONAL MEETING, 5:30-7pm, Sierra Club, 85 2nd St., SF,
Learn more at: http://www.transcoalition.org/calendar.html * Meeting Agenda available here

December 10 - TALC HOLIDAY PARTY, 7-8pm, Sierra Club, 85 2nd St., SF,
Immediately following the Regional Meeting.

December 12 - MTC POC MEETING, 10 am, Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, Lawrence D. Dahms Auditorium, 101 8th St, Oakland
Metropolitan Transportation Commission Planning and Operations Committee meeting in which they will gather public input on key issues including land use and the regionally funded programs in the upcoming Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
Learn more at: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/T2030/meetings.htm - MTC will post details a few days before the mtg.

December 17 - MTC FULL COMMISSION MEETING, 10 am, Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, Lawrence D. Dahms Auditorium, 101 8th St, Oakland
Metropolitan Transportation Commission meeting in which they will gather public input on key issues including land use and the regionally funded programs in the upcoming Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
Learn more at: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/T2030/meetings.htm - MTC will post details a few days before the mtg.

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7. Members In Action - Urban Ecology now hiring
Urban Ecology is pleased to announce two job openings: one position is for a Community Organizer and the second opening is for a Policy Director. Job descriptions are listed below.

Job Description: Urban Ecology is seeking an energetic and creative Community Organizer to help lead neighborhood planning processes in the Bay Area. The Community Organizer will work closely with Urban Ecology's staff and with a range of external stakeholders, primarily in low-income communities in Oakland. The Community Organizer would collaborate closely with our Urban Designer, and our advisory committee, which offers technical expertise on land use and transportation issues, and with volunteers.

Job Description: Urban Ecology is seeking an experienced and dedicated Policy Director to help develop and lead a new campaign model that builds off, and complements, our neighborhood planning work. The Policy Director will work closely with Urban Ecology's Executive Director to identify priority policy issues at the regional and municipal levels, develop relationships with other leading advocacy organizations and to win policies and legislation that benefit urban communities.

For more details, and to apply for one of these positions, go to: http://www.urbanecology.org/jobs

* All TALC Member and Affiliate groups are eligible for inclusion in the 'Members in Action' section - simply email your article subject to Robert Ping by the last week of each month. If yours is selected, you will be asked to send a one-paragraph summary - and web page link, if available.

Update: 02/04/2004