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2. TALC's 7th Annual Summit is Now Open for Registration!

Energizing Communities: Starving Sprawl

Keynote Speaker: Senator Barbara Boxer

Saturday, March 13
9:30am – 2pm
Laney College Forum, Oakland

For decades, the Bay Area has subsidized sprawl development with billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure. Small incentive programs have not been enough to shift regional patterns away from these deeply ingrained growth patterns. But the Bay Area may be on the verge of a monumental shift in land use thinking. MTC, our regional transportation agency, may condition funds for transit expansion on supportive growth plans and give funds to cities to plan for smarter growth.

TALC has been working to define a new course for transportation investment and growth issues in the Bay Area since 1997. Our major effort for 2004 is to break the self-fulfilling prophecy of sprawl by building support for smart regional policies. Whether you are new to the Coalition or a long-time supporter, the 7th Annual Summit is a great place to learn about these issues and help strategize for successful campaigns.

The event will include Coalition speakers, multimedia presentations and Strategy and Training Sessions. The Sessions will tackle tough issues and prioritize TALC's Coalition strategies for 2004, and will give participants the tools to be an effective advocate:

Strategy Sessions
> Making the land use connection
> Transportation Justice
> Brainstorming five-year goals for TALC

Training sessions
> Starting a Safe Routes to School program
> Negotiating with developers
> Effective lobbying with elected officials

There will also be time at the end of the day for people to meet with others from their county or sub-region to discuss local campaigns.

Read the Draft Agenda

More information about Energizing Communities, Starving Sprawl

We hope to see you there! Register now!
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3. TALC Regional Meeting - February 18
5:30-7:30pm, Sierra Club, 85 2nd St. at Mission, SF
Agenda not yet available
The February meeting will focus on: Regional Measure 2, 7th Annual Summit, TALC's RTP campaign on land use and transportation justice, and an update on sales taxes in San Mateo and Contra Costa counties.

Learn more at: http://www.transcoalition.org/calendar.html

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4. Help TALC Rally Support for Regional Measure 2!
We are in the final month of our campaign for Measure 2, the $1 bridge toll increase for transit, and we need your help to spread the word ­YES ON 2! The list of supporters continues to grow, thanks to everyone who has already donated time and energy to the campaign. If you haven’t done so already, please help TALC with the following three things: 1-get your organization to endorse Measure 2; 2-include a short article or paragraph about Measure 2 in your organization’s newsletter or email update; 3-talk to your friends about how important Measure 2 is for transportation in the Bay Area! This is a word-of-mouth campaign, and we need to make sure to reach as many people as possible with the YES ON 2 message before March 2!

For more information about Measure 2, please visit the bridge toll section of our website, or call Amber Crabbe at 510-740-3105.
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5. Save Our Transit! Kicks into Gear Again in the South Bay
TALC is initiating another campaign in the South Bay to stop VTA from raising fares and making huge cuts in bus and rail service! VTA is now planning to raise fares twice over the next two years and cut bus and light rail service by 25-30%! These proposed changes promise to deal a severe blow to the daily lives of the low-income people of color, immigrants, seniors, youth, disabled, and single mothers of the South Bay who rely on public transportation to access jobs, schools, hospitals, and many other basic needs.

TALC has hired Christopher Lepe as our South Bay Transportation Justice Organizer, to educate and organize citizens and organizations that seek to preserve and improve the existing bus and light rail system, and to mobilize community support for the Save Our Transit alternative.

Find out what you can do to Save Our Transit!
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6. Last Public Workshops to influence Contra Costa's Measure C
The sales tax reauthorization process is kicking into high gear. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is holding just three more public forums before coming up with an overall package. The "Program Focus" alternative is similar to the "Transportation for a Livable Contra Costa" platform endorsed by TALC and 39 groups across the county. Plus, the 30-member public advisory committee has proposed a compromise spending plan that includes a significant portion of the TALC platform (although many issues remain!). Speak out at CCTA's public forums:
        Brentwood: Thursday, February 12, 7-9pm: Brentwood Council Chambers, 734 Third St.
        Pleasant Hill: Thursday, February 19, 7-9pm: Pleasant Hill City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane
        Walnut Creek: Thu Feb. 26, 7-9pm: Los Lomas High School Auditorium, 1460 Main Street
For more details, see http://www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_msrc/msrc.html
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7. Can You Donate a Good Computer?
TALC needs three good computers, and will happily accept your donated machine(s), giving you the benefits of a tax deduction. We are looking for PCs with processors that are at least 500 MHz in speed. If you are considering a donation, please contact Robert Ping, or at 510-740-3103. Thank you!
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8. Calendar

February 18 - TALC REGIONAL MEETING, 5:30-7:30pm, Sierra Club, 85 2nd St., SF,
Agenda not yet available
Learn more at: http://www.transcoalition.org/calendar.html
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9. Members In Action - Richmond Improvement Association

West County Times, January 23, 2004     
A REVOLUTION of sorts has been under way on the outskirts of the Iron Triangle since Dec. 17. It won't be over any time soon, if people like the Rev. Andre Shumake of the Richmond Improvement Association, Ronnie Wallace, executive director of the nonprofit Vision of Hope for Youth, and Jonothan Dumas of Richmond's YouthBuild program have their way. "We've put together a winning team," Shumake said Wednesday, smiling at a work crew of 10 or so young people rehabilitating a fourplex on Garvin Avenue in Richmond.

To Daniel Nackerman, executive director of Richmond's Housing Authority, the project "seems like the perfect marriage of organizations doing what they do best, and the young men and women who need training and a job." Those organizations include Shumake's faith-based group, organized in 1999 to positively influence local housing, education and employment, Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, local contractors who oversee the construction skills training for the 17 to 24 year olds, and Wallace's and Dumas's agencies.

Contractor Derrick Terrell of Custom Design & Build in Richmond sees the project as helping build lives, "training (the young people) in fields where we have expertise. "You see them paying attention, the sparkle in their eyes. This is a training program, not just a job. They're learning. "The supervisors try to teach each worker a little about all the phases of building, said Harold Wallace of A. Wallace & Sons in Oakland. As they do, they watch for those who readily catch on to certain skills and steer them toward learning more in that area, such as plumbing, electricity or carpentry.

Thomas Rivera, who has been with Vision of Hope for Youth for more than a year and took carpentry classes when he was a student at De Anza High School, expects the on-site training he receives to eventually help him qualify for more work in construction." I knew some stuff before, but now I learned more," he said. "It's better to be working here than being on the street."

Even during the demolition work before the renovation, the young people could see how a building goes together." I'm learning a lot about floors," said Demetric Lewis. "It's a good program," he added. "In time, it's going to grow."

* All TALC Member and Affiliate groups are eligible for inclusion in the 'Members in Action' section - simply email your article subject to robert@transcoalition.org 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.