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NEWS AND EVENTS FROM TALC

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TALC unveils plan for regional transportation -- county activists needed
The Coalition is moving forward with our campaign to protect the climate and win a better Bay Area. At the heart of this campaign is TALC's platform to influence MTC's 2009 update of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). TALC's platform was created through a broad effort by coalition members and has already been endorsed by over 50 organizations. The platform was released to an audience of more than 700 elected officials, business leaders, planners, and advocates at the October 26 MTC-ABAG RTP kick-off event. Provide input on the RTP and show support for the platform at one of MTC's three public workshops in November. Reserve a spot at one of these meetings by emailing your name, contact info, and which meeting you'll attend to info@mtc.ca.gov or by calling 510-817-5757.

• Wednesday, November 14: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road, Concord
• Thursday, November 15: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 150 East San Fernando Street, San Jose
• Monday, November 19: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street, San Rafael

Over the next few months, our campaign will focus heavily on outreach and advocacy at the county level. We are looking for volunteers and lead advocates in each county. County leads will help boost attendance at county transportation agencies, help analyze county proposals, and more. Please contact Carli Paine at carli@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x315 to get more information about becoming a county leader.

For more information about how you or your organization can get involved in the campaign for a better Bay Area, or to download a copy of the TALC RTP platform, visit the webpage below.

Learn more: www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_rtp/rtp_home.html

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TALC's 10th anniversary celebrated in pictures
More than 350 people gathered to celebrate TALC's tenth anniversary on October 18 at the Oakland Museum of California. A big thanks to the organizations, activists, foundations, donors, and elected officials who have supported our mission since 1997. With the strength of more than 110 member and affiliate organizations from across the region, we are confident that the next decade will bring us much closer to our vision of a better Bay Area. Photos from the event, plus all of the entries to TALC's photo contest, are available at the websites below.

Photos from the event: www.flickr.com/groups/10yearanniversary/
Photo contest entries: http://talcphotocontest.smugmug.com/galleries

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Results are in from TALC's Board of Directors election
TALC's member organization representatives recently voted for the Board of Directors "class of 2011." With the new class, Mike Daley replaces Dick Schneider as the Sierra Club representative. Dick was on the Board for over five years, as the longest-serving member in TALC's history. Three other Board members were elected to second three-year terms: Geeta Rao of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, Roxanne Sanchez of SEIU Local 1021, and Corinne Winter of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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San Francisco downtown walk -- Saturday, November 17
Walk San Francisco and Livable City are co-sponsoring a Downtown Streets and Public Spaces walk on Saturday, November 17 at 10:30am. Meet at Mint Plaza at the corner of Mint Street and Jessie Street. This walking tour will explore streets and public spaces in San Francisco's Downtown and Chinatown neighborhoods. The focus of the tour will be on efforts over the last two decades to create more walkable streets and to revitalize public spaces.

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TALC regional meeting tackles transit effectiveness -- Wednesday, November 28
What is the effective way to increase transit ridership? How can popular transit routes be redesigned? How can we stop bus transit's downward spiral caused by ever-more car congestion? TALC's November 28 regional meeting will tackle all of these questions through the lens of the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) in San Francisco being conducted by Muni. The TEP is the first comprehensive review of Muni in 25 years, and its findings are fascinating and relevant to every transit system in the region. Britt Tanner, an engineer with Muni, will present the results of the study with plenty of time for questions, input on the TEP, and discussion on how its lessons can be applied regionally. We'll also discuss TALC's Regional Transportation Plan strategy and have time for input on TALC's potential name change. To celebrate the holiday season, we'll have wine, dessert, and time to mingle after the meeting.

The regional meeting will be on Wednesday, November 28 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Sierra Club's third-floor conference room in downtown San Francisco, 85 Second Street, near the Montgomery BART/Muni station. The meeting is free and open to the public. Burritos and beverages will be served. New to TALC? Come at 5:00 p.m. for an optional orientation about TALC and regional issues. Please RSVP so we can have enough seating and food to rsvp@transcoalition.org or call 510-740-3150.

Learn more about the TEP: www.sftep.com

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Upcoming meeting at Great Communities Collaborative site -- November 28
The Collaborative encourages residents to get involved in this community planning events and advocate for building great communities in their neighborhood.

Alameda Point, Alameda: Wednesday, November 28, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at City Hall at 2226 Santa Clara Avenue. This is the second in a series of meetings to plan the future of Alameda Point. Come learn about and get involved in this important process. Contact Ann Cheng at 510-740-3150 x316 or ann@transcoalition.org for more information.

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Pricing and equity at Transportation Justice Working Group/SEC meeting -- Dec. 7
The Social Equity Caucus invites you to join Lindsay Imai and Bob Allen from Urban Habitat and the Transportation Justice Working Group during 2007's final Quarterly Meeting for a discussion of how proposed increases in transportation costs, such as gas and tolls, could impact as well as potentially benefit low income communities and communities of color. The Caucus will also unveil new 2008 programming to strengthen our coalition, build shared analysis, and shift power around regional equity issues. The meeting will be held in downtown Oakland on Friday, December 7 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. For more information or to RSVP please contact Marc at 510-839-9913.

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Regional equity conference -- March 5-7 in New Orleans
PolicyLink invites you to the nation's premiere gathering of equity advocates. "Regional Equity '08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth" will be held from March 5-7, 2008, in New Orleans. With names like Tavis Smiley, Manuel Pastor, Salon's Joan Walsh, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer leading the way, the Summit promises to be an amazing opportunity to join with more than 1,000 diverse leaders and advocates from the nonprofit, public policy, philanthropic, business, and academic arenas to commit to providing all Americans the opportunity to participate and prosper. Save 25 percent for early registration at the website below.

Learn more: www.regionalequity08.org