Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC)

Coalition Update: March 6, 2008


TALC NEWS AND EVENTS
1. Where will TALC stand on California High-Speed Rail?
2. Regional meeting to focus on campaign priorities for 4 years -- Wednesday, May 21
3. Join us in Sacramento to lobby for transportation funding -- Tuesday, May 20
4. Great Communities Collaborative expands to new communities
5. Be cool -- support Transportation Fund for Climate Protection
6. Critical meeting for the future of Bus Rapid Transit in Berkeley -- Wednesday, April 9
7. TravelChoice hits the streets again in 2008
8. TALC welcomes new staff
9. TALC is hiring for an office manager

NEWS AND EVENTS FROM TALC MEMBER GROUPS
10. TALC's newest member group: East Bay Housing Organizations
11, Two Walk San Francisco events
12. Save the date for Rail~Volution 2008 -- presentation proposals due May 2

NEW RESOURCES
13. New Bay Area land use website launched
14. Making the link between child care and transit

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TALC NEWS AND EVENTS

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1. 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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2. 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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3. 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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4. 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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5. 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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6. 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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7. 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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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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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11. Two Walk San Francisco events
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12. 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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13. 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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14. 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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About the Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC)
TALC is a partnership of over 100 groups working for a sustainable and socially just Bay Area. We envision a region with healthy, walkable communities that provide all residents with transportation choices and affordable housing. The coalition analyzes county and regional policies, works with community groups to develop alternatives, and coordinates grassroots campaigns.

To contact TALC:
405 14th Street, Suite 605
Oakland, CA 94612
510-740-3150
www.transcoalition.org

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