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TALC NEWS AND EVENTS
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Where will TALC stand on California High-Speed Rail?
TALC does not currently have a formal position on the California High-Speed Rail
project. A few years ago, the Coalition discussed the project and determined
that it was not ready to take a position. Now, we are embarking on an important
Coalition process to determine TALC's position on the High-Speed Rail bond
measure, which is currently slated for the November 2008 ballot. Although this
$9.95 billion bond measure has been slated for, and removed from, previous
ballots, it looks likely that California voters are actually going to have a
chance to vote on it this November. Over the next few months, our Coalition
member groups will be participating in a process to help determine if TALC will
be supporting the November bond measure. We anticipate that the TALC Board will
approve a position in June or July. For more information on TALC's process for
developing a position on the high-speed rail bond measure and links to
information about the project, visit the webpage below or contact Carli Paine at
carli@transcoalition.org or
510-740-3150 x315.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_hsr
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Regional meeting to focus on campaign priorities for 4
years -- Wednesday, May 21
TALC's next regional meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 21 from 5:30 - 7:30
p.m. at the Sierra Club at 85 2nd Street in downtown San Francisco. This
regional meeting will be an especially interactive one, as attendees will work
together to identify priority transportation campaigns for TALC to focus on in
the next four years. This work will feed directly into TALC's recently-launched
strategic planning process. We urge member and affiliate group representatives
and advocates to turn out and shape the direction of TALC's campaigns.
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Join us in Sacramento to lobby for transportation funding
-- Tuesday, May 20
This year’s state budget is a mess! With an estimated $14.5 billion deficit,
the Governor and legislature are looking everywhere for money to close funding
gaps. After siphoning nearly $1.3 billion in public transportation funds to help
balance this past year's budget, it's likely that there are deeper cuts in store
for public transit. Join TALC on our May 20 Sacramento lobby day. Together,
we'll tell state legislators to stop making cuts and start creating budget
solutions. Without our effort, the prospects for funding public transportation
are slim. But, with our voices, there is a fighting chance! To participate in
the lobby day, contact Ben Lowe at
ben@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x306.
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Great Communities Collaborative expands to new communities
Is your city conducting -- or about to conduct -- planning for a new transit
oriented development (TOD)? This summer, the Great Communities Collaborative
will expand the number of communities it is active in to a total of 20. If you
know of any land use planning processes that will be starting soon for a
neighborhood near an existing or planned rapid transit station, please let us
know! Contact Chris Schildt, Great Communities Program Associate, at
chris@transcoalition.org or
510-740-3150 x305. For more information about the Great Communities
Collaborative and the current sites visit
www.greatcommunities.org.
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Be cool -- support Transportation Fund for Climate
Protection
TALC is the proud sponsor of the most ambitious attempt yet to provide
transportation choices and reduce vehicle travel. AB 2744, introduced by
Assembly member Jared Huffman, would enable the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission and stakeholders to develop a proposal for a $7 billion
Transportation Fund for Climate Protection and bring it to Bay Area voters as
Regional Measure 3. The program would be funded by a climate mitigation fee on
gasoline that would start at 2-3 cents per gallon and could rise to 10 cents per
gallon by 2014. We need to show legislators that there is broad support for the
creation of the Transportation Fund for Climate Protection. Find a sample letter
of support for your organization to sign, talking points to contact your state
legislator, and more information about the bill at the webpage below or contact
Carli Paine at
carli@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x315.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/ab2744
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Critical meeting for the future of Bus Rapid Transit in
Berkeley -- Wednesday, April 9
Opponents of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) are trying to kill it at the next joint
meeting of the planning and transportation commissions, before BRT's impacts on
these issues are fully studied. Local support is needed to urge commissioners to
support a study of alternatives with and without BRT. The meeting will take
place on Wednesday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center at
1901 Hearst Avenue. For more information contact Len Conly at 510-459-5841 or
visit the Friends of BRT website. Please come and support improving transit in
Berkeley.
Learn more: www.friendsofbrt.org
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TravelChoice hits the streets again in 2008
TravelChoice -- TALC's innovative program to help people drive less by providing
personalized information and incentives to use transit and to bicycle, walk, and
carpool -- kicks off its 2008 outreach in North and West Berkeley at the
beginning of April. TravelChoice outreach personnel started contacting
households on April 1 (no joke!), with a goal of reaching over 9,000+ households
by June, through door-to-door canvassing. The 2008 project will build on the
momentum of previous Berkeley outreach begun in fall 2007, as well as prior
outreach in the City of Alameda and Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. (Survey
results on the effectiveness of the fall outreach in Berkeley should be
available by the end of May.) TravelChoice will also be rolling out a second
phase of outreach in San Leandro this fall. TravelChoice is funded by the
Transportation Fund for Clean Air, the City of Berkeley, ACTIA, AC Transit, and
BART, and is coordinated by TALC.
TravelChoice is also hiring neighborhood canvassers to help with outreach. If
you want more information about TravelChoice or are interested in working on
outreach, visit the webpages below or contact John Knox White at
john@transcoalition.org or
510-740-3150 x371.
Learn about TravelChoice:
www.transcoalition.org/travelchoice
Learn about the job openings:
www.transcoalition.org/about/about_jobs.html
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TALC welcomes new staff
TALC welcomes two new permanent staff members for its Great Communities and Safe
Routes to Schools programs. Susan Silber is the new Education Coordinator for
TALC's Safe Routes to School program, bringing more than 18 years of experience
in the environmental and education fields. Camille Guiriba, a recent urban
studies graduate from the University of California at Berkeley, is the new
Program Assistant to the Great Communities Collaborative.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/about/about_staff.html
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TALC is hiring for an office manager
TALC will soon be hiring an experienced office manager with responsibilities for
the organization's information technology, facilities management, human
resources, and administrative functions. A job description will be posted next
week at the webpage below.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/about/about_jobs.html#job
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NEWS AND EVENTS FROM TALC MEMBER GROUPS
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TALC's newest member group: East Bay Housing Organizations
Joining TALC's more than 100 member and affiliate groups is East Bay Housing
Organizations (EBHO). EBHO works with communities in Alameda and Contra Costa
counties to preserve, protect, and expand affordable housing opportunities
through education, advocacy, and coalition building.
Learn more: www.ebho.org
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Two Walk San Francisco events
- Walk SF Benefit Party -- Friday, April 18
Walk SF invites you to clear your calendar for the annual DB+P fundraiser,
which will benefit Walk SF. The evening will offer snacks and drinks, music
and friends, a silent art auction, and a chance to help make walking around
your town fun and safe. You can skip the line and make your door donation at
the webpage below, making you eligible for a special drawing. The event will
be held on Friday, April 18 from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. at 461 2nd Street in San
Francisco. Learn more and sign up at
www.walksf.org/s2s.
- Walking tour of Octavia Boulevard -- Saturday, May 3
In 2005, Walk SF hosted a walking tour along Octavia Boulevard when it was
first constructed. See what has changed since the area was first opened up and
what is in store for the future. This walk will be lead by Robin Levitt of the
Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association and Tom Radulovich of Livable City, two
people intimately involved with the planning of Octavia Boulevard. The tour
will depart at 10:30 a.m. from Market and Octavia in front of the LGBT Center.
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Save the date for Rail~Volution 2008 --
presentation proposals due May 2
Rail~Volution is a conference for passionate practitioners -- people from all
perspectives who believe in the role of land use and transit as equal partners
in the quest for greater livability and greater communities. The 2008 conference
will be held in San Francisco on October 26-29 and this year's theme is
"Reshaping communities in an energy challenged future." TALC is on the local
steering committee to plan the conference and will be helping to ensure that
activists and students are able to attend. The call for presentations has been
released and proposals are due on May 2. Mark your calendar for this exciting
event and visit the webpage below if you want to submit a presentation proposal
Learn more:
www.railvolution.com/program.asp
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NEW RESOURCES
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New Bay Area land use website launched
The Urban Land Institute's Bay Area chapter has launched a free, comprehensive
online compilation of Bay Area maps and land use information. The UrbanMap
website was born out of a desire to quickly find all useful Bay Area land use
data in one place. The website lists map information by county and by topic.
Learn more: www.urbanmap.org
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Making the link between child care and transit
Local Investment in Child Care has released a new statewide report on child care
and transit in California. The report makes recommendations on key strategies
for transit agencies to support centers as well as for child care administrators
and employers to support child care and transit linkages. Read the executive
summary or the full report at the website below.
Learn more:
www.lincc-childcare.com
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