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NEWS FROM TALC
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State budget starves transit, but legal and organizing efforts ramp up
After a grueling budget stand-off, California's 2007-08 budget was adopted
on July 24. Nearly $1.3 billion in dedicated public transit funds were
redirected to General Fund purposes. With only $100 million out of $827 million
in Spillover revenue actually going to transit, the budget significantly
underfunds public transit operations. While higher than expected revenues from
other sources will cushion the devastating cuts this year, this budget needs to
be a wake up call for transit supporters across the state.
Late last week the California Transit Association filed a lawsuit to stop the
budgetary shifts away from transit. This fall TALC will pull together groups and
activists to initiate an effort to permanently protect public transit funding.
Let us know if you'd like to join the effort. For more information contact Carli
Paine at
carli@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x315.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_spill/index.html
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Walk to School Day October 3 -- launching new Safe Routes to School Program
International Walk to School Day on October 3 celebrates and encourages
walking and bicycling to school in over thirty countries. TALC is coordinating
Alameda County's participation in the event, and is launching our comprehensive
Safe Routes to Schools program on that day. Targeting schools in Oakland,
Berkeley, and the urban unincorporated areas of Alameda County, SR2S is offering
workshops, trainings, pedestrian and bike safety curricula, an assembly program,
infrastructure planning and more. To learn more about SR2S contact Nora Cody at
nora@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x323.
In the City of Alameda, local groups have organized events at a dozen schools,
marking the seventh annual Walk & Roll to School Day. For more information
contact Audrey Lord-Hausman at
alord@ix.netcom.com.
Enjoy the fresh air and walk or bike with your child or a neighborhood friend on
October 3rd! Join the movement for healthier, safer journeys to school.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sr2s/index.html
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New Great Communities Collaborative sites
The Great Communities Collaborative is greatly expanding its work to engage
residents and organizations in community planning. The Collaborative has added
four new priority sites: Antioch, International Boulevard in Oakland, San Pablo
Avenue in Richmond/El Cerrito, and North First Street in San Jose. These are in
addition to ongoing work at priority sites in Pittsburg, San Leandro, and Santa
Rosa. The Collaborative has added new secondary sites at Alameda Point,
Pleasanton, Japantown in San Francisco, and Santa Clara, and will continue
working in South Hayward. At these sites the Collaborative's regional and local
partners are working together to ensure strong community engagement and
high-quality plans for neighborhoods near transit.
Learn more:
www.greatcommunities.org and click on "Local
Efforts"
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Great Communities city plans move forward
After a year of education and advocacy by our Great Communities
Collaborative partners, Urban Habitat and Congregations Organizing for Renewal,
San Leandro's City Council approved their Downtown TOD Strategy Plan on
September 4. The plan supports up to 100 dwelling units per acre in some parts
of the plan, with a minimum of 80 units per acre near the BART station. The plan
also reduces parking ratios, increases bike friendliness, and opens access to
the San Leandro creek. For more information contact Lindsay Imai at Urban
Habitat,
lindsay@urbanhabitat.org.
In the North Bay, our Collaborative partners, Greenbelt Alliance, Accountable
Development Coalition, and Conservation Action Fund for Education, have made
significant progress in improving Santa Rosa's Downtown Station Area Plan to
include deeper housing affordability and better green building policies. The
Planning Commission has approved the plan, but more improvements are still
needed. The commission sent it to the City Council with recommendations to
strengthen several of the key points our partners have been advocating for in
the plan. For more information or to get involved visit
www.santarosastation.com
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Do you work for the federal government?
As a federal employee, you can now donate to the Transportation and Land Use
Coalition through the Combined Federal Campaign. It's easy to do and
tax-deductible. If you value TALC's campaigns, cutting-edge policy work, and
innovative programs, please make a donation to recipient number 53945 -- that's
us!
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UPCOMING TALC EVENTS
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Regional meeting: cutting transportation's climate change impact --
date
change: TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 11
You're invited to join us for TALC's next regional meeting. Timothy
Burroughs, the City of Berkeley's Climate Action Coordinator, will talk about
Berkeley's goal of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050 and how strategies like bus
rapid transit, bike planning, car sharing, transportation demand management, and
parking pricing actually measure up in terms of likely emissions reductions.
Then, Robin Chase, founder and CEO of GoLoco, an online ridesharing community,
will talk about how small the window of time is for us to act -- and which
strategies are the most politically viable. This will segue into a discussion
and strategy session about the October release of TALC's platform for the
Regional Transportation Plan. Help us make the climate connection a major focus
of regional transportation investments.
The regional meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 11, from 5:30 - 7:30
p.m. at the Sierra Club's third floor Yosemite Room at 85 Second Street in San
Francisco (Montgomery BART/Muni station). The meeting is free and open to the
public. Burritos and beverages will be served. Spread the word and see you
there!
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Join the S.F. Oyster multi-modal race -- Sunday, October 14
TALC is the official charity for the San Francisco Oyster, a scavenger hunt
race that switches between running, biking, kayaking, transit, and more. By
joining or putting together a team, you'll not only have a blast, you'll support
TALC! Sign up your three-person, six-person, or family team at the website
below. Register your team before September 14 to receive an early bird
registration discount. We also need volunteers to help out in San Francisco
during the race day on Sunday, October 14. Contact Marta at 510-740-3150 x321 or
marta@transcoalition.org to volunteer, connect with a team, or with
questions.
There's a free "Cracking the Oyster" clinic on Tuesday, September 11 at the San
Francisco REI store at 7:00 p.m. The clinic will cover training, selecting
teammates, and team strategies, and will give out great prizes.
Learn more:
www.sfoyster.com/San-Francisco-Home/home.aspx
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Let's celebrate TALC's 10th anniversary together -- Thursday, October 18
TALC is turning ten...and you're invited to our birthday bash! Please join
co-chairs Senator Barbara Boxer and Peter Calthorpe, world-renowned planner and
architect, in celebrating the many organizations, activists, and civic leaders
who have made our successes over the past ten years possible. Don't miss live
jazz, food, drinks, photography, gardens, mingling, and more -- all for the low
price of $45. A special rate of $25 is available for member/affiliate group
representatives and those with limited financial means. The celebration will
take place on Thursday, October 18, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of
California.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/10th.html
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OTHER EVENTS
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Social Equity Caucus meeting -- Friday, September 14
Join the Social Equity Caucus quarterly meeting on Friday, September 14,
from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the East Bay Community Foundation in downtown
Oakland. Agenda items include a discussion of key findings of the recent evaluation
of the caucus and what next steps Urban Habitat needs to take as manager of the
caucus, along with a report back from SEC members who
participated in the first-ever U.S. Social Forum this summer. For more
information or to RSVP, please email
sec@urbanhabitat.org.
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MTC-ABAG summit on the RTP -- Friday, October 26
Save the date for the MTC-ABAG Summit on Friday, October 26 from 8:30 a.m. -
2:00 p.m. at the Oakland Marriott City Center. The Summit will include the
kickoff of the 2009 update of the Regional Transportation Plan (called
Transportation 2035), so it's important to have advocates present to support the
kinds of projects and policies that we all care about. Online registration will
soon be available at the page below -- make sure you sign up as space is
limited.
Learn more:
mtc.ca.gov/meetings/events/ga_forum.htm
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NEWS FROM TALC MEMBER GROUPS
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TALC's newest member group: New Economy Working Solutions
New Economy Working Solutions (NEWS) is the newest of TALC's more than 100
member and affiliate groups. NEWS works in the North Bay and is committed to
building a regional economy that ensures economic opportunity for all and
provides access to good jobs, public transit, a healthy environment, affordable
housing and comprehensive, affordable, health care. We couldn't agree more!
Learn more:
www.neweconomynorthbay.org
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LAUGH OF THE MONTH
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Tired of Traffic? A New DOT Report Urges Drivers: 'Honk'
A report in The Onion shows that TALC's been tooting the wrong horn for the
past decade. Who needs transit advocacy, HOT lanes, or transportation demand
management? What we really need to do is to teach drivers to use their horns
more often!
What makes you laugh? If you see a funny online video, song, or story that
relates to TALC's issues forward it to
seth@transcoalition.org and we'll consider it
for future e-updates.
Watch video:
www.theonion.com/content/video/tired_of_traffic_a_new_dot_report
