Posts Tagged: transportation

Opinion

California’s EV transition is now local

Image by coffeekai.

OPINION – The answer to California’s much-anticipated electric vehicle (EV) transition is not in Washington. It’s not even in Sacramento–it is in the hands of local governments

Opinion

The effects of a per-mile tax for drivers and state tax revenue

Image by VectorMine

OPINION – As Californians move towards EVs, their Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) has projected about a $5 billion dollar decline in gasoline tax revenue over the next decade. This is a significant oversight to a policy change that should have been identified before implementation.

Opinion

SB 88 would make transportation barriers for kids in foster care even worse

Active lifestyle, image by kentoh

OPINION – In California, the right to a normal and happy childhood is codified in law as part of the Welfare and Institutions Code 362.05. This means many things, but a critical part is that foster youth are entitled to participate in appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities for their age if they choose. A bill in the Legislature puts this all at risk.

Opinion

Don’t let clean air programs expire

Truck exhaust, image by Lesterman

OPINION – Nearly every Californian – 98 percent of us – lives in a community impacted by unhealthy air, and climate change is making the job of cleaning our air more difficult. The legislature and Governor Newsom must renew clean transportation funding, and do so immediately, as the legislative clock is counting down and nearly $2 billion in clean air funds are at risk of expiring.

News

Making the leap into California’s future — and the unknown

An illustration of the unknown road ahead. (Image: Pro-Studio, via Shutterstock)

California faces many challenges now. One is the climate emergency. Another is economic recovery. Add COVID-19 positivity. That is a partial list. You get the picture. Why imagine scenarios for the Golden State over the next decade or century? We turn to Marina Gorbis.

Opinion

Political leaders must lead fight against organized retail crime

A shoplifter puts a pair of jeans under his jacket. (Photo: Fotosenmeer, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: It’s no secret that California is facing an epidemic of retail theft and crime. Organized retail crime has a detrimental effect on our neighborhood stores and retailers. Oftentimes, stores find themselves the repeat victim of theft. Not only do the financial losses of stolen goods pile up, but they are often left with shattered windows and broken locks.

Opinion

Community-based organizations address health inequities  

A young girl in Oakland, a key member of a community targeted for health inequities. (Photo: Roots Community Health Center)

OPINION: Much attention has been focused on the barriers and challenges to accessing health care, highlighted by a pandemic that disproportionately harms Black, Latinx, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities. Barriers to technology or lack of broadband impeded access to MyTurn and other scheduling tools. Barriers to transportation made it impossible or difficult for folks to access mega-sites and wait in hours long lines for the vaccine.

News

Safety for pedestrians, cyclists targeted in legislation

A pedestrian crosses Hollywood Boulevard in L.A. (Photo: View Apart, via Shutterstock)

An effort backed by advocates for pedestrians and bicycle riders would set up experimental programs in several California cities to get drivers to obey traffic laws, in part through the use of red-light and speed cameras.

Opinion

Needed: Better development, transportation decisions

An aerial view of a traffic-clogged intersection in Los Angeles. (Photo: TierneyMJ, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California government agencies have focused on reducing traffic congestion when looking at the pollution impacts caused by new development and transportation projects. The result has been a lot of bad decisions that, taken together, have led to longer commutes, urban sprawl, and a failure to invest sufficiently in public transit, bike lanes, and pedestrian pathways.

News

State just starting to grapple with climate change

An aerial view of the freeway system feeding downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: trekandshoot, via Shutterstock)

California’s vulnerability to climate change — from deadly fires to sea level rise — has been well documented. But the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal adviser says the state, with rare exceptions, has only just begun to assess the risk climate change poses to roads, dams, parks and schools.

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