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NEWS FROM TALC
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Transit does better in 2008 state budget -- Keep up the
pressure!
After redirecting over $1.25 billion in dedicated public transit funds in the
2007-08 budget, the Governor's newly released budget proposal protects more
transit funding in the 2008-09 budget. His proposal is for half of the
"Spillover" funds (approximately $450 million) to be dedicated to transit
operations, whereas last year they were all redirected to the General Fund. TALC
will be working over the course of the budget season to ensure that the cuts
don't go any deeper than they already are. Keep an eye out for information about
a spring lobby day and other actions to reinforce the importance of transit to
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion and making California
more livable. See the webpage below for details on the Governor's January budget
proposal, to learn about California's history of raiding transit funds to
balance the budget, and to find talking points. For questions, contact Carli
Paine at
carli@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x315.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_spill/
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Make your voice heard as counties prioritize RTP projects
by February
MTC has asked each of the nine Bay Area counties to submit lists of projects and
programs for possible inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan. Most
of the counties will discuss their submission lists at public meetings in
January and February. There has been pushback from the counties against MTC's
new approach of evaluating and funding projects based on how well they meet the
regional goals, including reducing vehicle travel and greenhouse gas emissions.
It's important that county decision-makers hear their constituents urging them
to prioritize projects that meet MTC's performance goals. To find out when key
meetings are happening in your county, email Carli Paine at
carli@transcoalition.org with a request to be added to one of our RTP
campaign's Google Groups. Be sure to indicate which counties you are interested
in. Visit the webpage below to learn about the RTP, TALC's platform, and our
campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a better Bay Area.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/c/sus_rtp/rtp_home.html
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Upcoming meetings at Alameda and San Francisco Great
Communities sites
The Great Communities Collaborative encourages residents to get involved in
these community planning events and advocate for great communities in their
neighborhood.
Alameda Point, Alameda: Wednesday, January 30, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at The
O'Club at 641 West Redline Avenue, Alameda. This is the third in a series of
meetings to plan the future of Alameda Point. Come learn about and get involved
in this important process. At the last December meeting there was overwhelming
support for a non-Measure A compliant development scenario. This next meeting
will cover more specific plan alternatives that will include multiple-family
housing. Contact Ann Cheng at 510-740-3150 x316 or
ann@transcoalition.org for more information.
Learn more:
www.alameda-point.com/AP.html
Japantown, San Francisco: Tuesday, February 12, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the
Japanese Cultural and Community Center at 1840 Sutter Street. This will be the
fourth in a series of meetings about the future of Japantown. It will include an
update on the plan and projects, a hands-on design exercise, and public comment.
The process will be about half-way through by this point, but it is not too late
to provide your feedback and comments. Contact Ann Cheng at 510-740-3150 x316 or
ann@transcoalition.org for more information.
Learn more:
www.sfgov.org/site/planning_index.asp?id=57149
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Take MTC's survey by January 18
Take a short web survey to tell the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
what you really think about transportation, climate change, and land use in the
Bay Area as part of the 2009 Regional Transportation Plan process. The
deadline has been extended to January 18, so don't miss this chance to show MTC
that Bay Area residents want real transportation choices and healthy, walkable
communities!
Take the survey:
www.mtc.ca.gov/T2035
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BRT under fire in Berkeley: You can help!
If you live within 50 miles of Berkeley, Kitchen Democracy wants to hear from
you regarding the hotly debated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line being proposed. A
"virtual vote" is happening right now where you can voice your opinion on
Berkeley's latest and best efforts to improve public transportation. What is
most controversial are the "dedicated lanes" required for a successful BRT.
Dedicated lanes would keep cars out of the center lanes of Telegraph Avenue,
reserving the lanes for BRT. Getting ever-increasing traffic out of the way of
buses is essential to keeping them reliable, with frequent arrival times, and
making BRT more attractive to current car commuters. However, some people think
that the impacts of dedicated lanes on street parking and car traffic are too
high of a price for BRT.
Vote at:
www.kitchendemocracy.org/101
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Seeking applicants for a transportation campaign
assistant (temporary position)
TALC is co-leading a statewide campaign to protect funding for public transit in
the State Budget, and we are looking for an organized, detail-oriented person to
help execute the campaign. The Campaign Assistant will be responsible for
logistics in support of a spring lobby day in Sacramento, material development,
and communication with advocates and legislative offices. This is a part-time,
temporary position, but there is the potential for this to be made into a
full-time temporary position if funding becomes available, with the additional
time spent on TALC's Regional Transportation Plan campaign.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/about/about_jobs.html#job
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EVENTS FROM TALC AND MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
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Todd Litman to speak at TALC's regional meeting! --
Thursday, February 21
Note the change of date and location!
If you read transportation policy reports, you've undoubtedly seen Todd Litman's
name countless times. As the executive director of the
Victoria Transport Policy
Institute, an independent research organization in Canada, Litman has
authored numerous groundbreaking studies on the true cost of driving,
transportation demand management, parking, and much more. TALC is honored to
have Litman at our upcoming regional meeting, so don't miss this chance to hear
him speak! We expect a large crowd, so RSVP now to
rsvp@transcoalition.org so that we can provide enough chairs and
food. Arrive early to guarantee getting a seat. The meeting is free and open to
the public. The regional meeting will be held on Thursday, February 21 from 5:30
- 7:30 p.m. Please note that it will NOT be held at the Sierra Club. It will
instead be held at 312 Sutter Street (at Grant), home of SPUR (San Francisco
Planning + Urban Research), who is cosponsoring the event.
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Transportation solutions to climate change -- Friday,
February 22
The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area will hold Transportation Solutions
to Climate Change, its annual Bay Area League Day, on Friday, February 22.
The event will include panels about Regional Transportation Plan 2035 and
climate change, funding options, safe routes to schools, and sub-regional bus
service and pedestrian/bicycle options. It will be held in downtown Oakland from
9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and costs $15-30.
Learn more:
www.lwvbayarea.org/BALD.html
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Save the date for TALC's 11th Annual Summit -- Saturday,
April 5
Join us for TALC's 2008 Summit, Healthy Communities, Healthy Planet,
which will explore the connections between land use, transportation, and health.
There is budding collaboration between advocates and professionals in these
fields. Our 11th annual Summit will bring together advocates, activists, and
practitioners from these fields for a day of great presenters and participatory
sessions to get us working together on building healthier communities.
Online registration for TALC's 2008 Summit will open the week of January 28th.
Register early to be sure you get the sessions you want! Session topics for this
year include: learning from the Safe Routes to Schools model, health impact
assessments, and strategizing for the Regional Transportation Plan, plus many
others.
Want to help with publicity? We're looking for a volunteer to send e-mail
announcements about the Summit to events calendars and announcement lists. If
you're interested (and you'll get free admission) contact Seth Schneider at
seth@transcoalition.org or 510-740-3150 x310.
Learn more:
www.transcoalition.org/cal/summit08
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OTHER EVENTS
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Sustainable urbanism with David Baker -- Thursday,
January 17
Back from a recent tour of major European cities in which he was armed with just
a folding bike, architect David Baker will reflect on the different approaches
to sustainable urbanism that he encountered. He will share ideas and images from
the optimistic Towards Car-Free Cities conference in Istanbul, the sleek success
of Paris's Velib' bicycle program, and the effects of London's congestion tax.
The event will be held on Thursday, January 17 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the
Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. The event is free of charge.
Learn more:
www.ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?eventID=24447
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San Francisco Town Hall Meeting on Land Use and Health
-- Wed., January 30
The San Francisco Department of Public Health will host a town hall forum to
discuss social, environmental, and economic factors affecting health. Through
this event and others, the department aims to increase awareness about local
health disparities and their connection to existing socioeconomic and
environmental inequities. The event will include the screening of a 25-minute
segment from Unnatural Causes: Is inequality making us sick? -- a PBS
documentary series that will be broadcast in March. The event will be held at
the Public Library's Koret Auditorium at 100 Larkin Street from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.
on Wednesday, January 30.
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