Streetsblog Los Angeles

What, you didn't know there was an election today?  Well, not all of Los Angeles has the chance to vote, just those in the 26th District where a group of candidates are vying to replace Mark Ridley-Thomas who is now sits on the County Board of Supervisors.  While Assemblyman Curren Price is considered to be the front runner, before heading to the voting booth head over to BikinginLA where statements of three of the candidates are collected.  If you don't have time to read the full statements by Price, Rabbi Nachum Shifren, and Saundra Davis, I have a summary of each below.

Saundra Davis - Mrs. Davis is very supportive of bike riders’ issues...Of course if there are specific issues you would like to address or if there are suggestions that you wish to apprise Mrs. Davis of, it would be helpful to hear from you. Mrs. Davis would love to know what those concerns are and what ideas you have that would address the issues.

Assemblyman Curren Price - However, this is only half of the battle. Whether one cycles for business, for pleasure or for the environment, cyclists and, more correctly, support for cyclists plays a crucial role in creating a more livable 26th Senate District. Improvements and expansion of Class One Bikeways via increased public/private partnership funding and incentives for those who build bike-friendly developments supported by ancillary City street improvements are among the priorities I would have in developing a cycling/environmental agenda. A continuous Class One Bikeway along the Exposition Light Rail Line which extends through the 26th District is another.

Rabbi Nachum Shiren - Let me speak frankly: I am angry at the abuse and peril thrown at cyclists, some of our best citizens. We need to make more cycling  accessible , not limit or obstruct it! The traffic has become unbearable. Not one of the politicians supports augmenting bike lanes or developing new ones. I will, to the best of my ability upon election, commit to this endeavor.

I will never capitulate to the automobile!

Just a quick reminder that I am still putting together a survey for the remaining candidates for 5th District City Council and City Attorney.  Anyone that has a question they would like to see answered should leave a note in the comments section.

Congresswoman-elect Kathy Dahlkemper overcame ridicule for her "wacky" notion that Pennsylvanians should try walking and cycling. But down in western North Carolina, voters returned Rep. Patrick McHenry -- shown here mocking, and misrepresenting, the federal bike commuter tax benefit -- to Washington.

Though his state also went for Barack Obama, the outspoken conservative Republican defeated Democratic challenger Daniel Johnson handily. The Hickory Record reports:

"The morals and values I took with me to Washington — I still have them," he said. "I'm not going to stop fighting for conservative ideals now."

McHenry's values and ideals have earned him a lot of views on YouTube, where his anti-cycling speech has been given special treatment.

Video: GreenMaterialism/YouTube

The National Republican Congressional Committee ran this ad against Democratic challenger Kathy Dahlkemper in the race for Pennsylvania’s third congressional district. It hits a few Gingrichian notes on how to address the country’s energy problems before the announcer tells us incredulously:

Dahlkemper’s wacky solution? She said we should make personal sacrifices, such as walking places and riding bikes. Hmm… Why don’t we use dog-sleds, too?

That passage heaps on the fear and loathing with scare quotes, shots of an impossibly crowded sidewalk, and a bike bell sound effect. But guess what? Seven-term incumbent Phil English is heading back to Erie, and Kathy Dahlkemper is going to Washington. The AP breaks down her victory:

Mrs. Dahlkemper’s advantage was viewed as being in the more urban areas
of the district — the cities of Erie, Sharon, Meadville and Butler –
where she was expected to benefit from longtime union support and Sen.
Barack Obama’s presence at the top of the ticket. Her challenge was to
sway voters in the suburban and rural regions.

Think Dahlkemper’s competition will bank on the same anti-urban message in 2010?

Writing for Citiwire, Brookings fellow Robert Lang asks whether the 2008 presidential contest might be the last one to openly pit rural and exurban voters against cities, which are increasingly aligned politically with inner suburbs. Lang says it depends on whether Republicans will again feel confident running the type of campaign that mocks community organizers and sanctifies "small town values," a strategy he views as a dead-end:

Maybe John McCain can somehow pull out one more win for small town America. But the odds look increasing long. More importantly, no future Republican nominee is likely to try another full-on, rural-based run at the White House. Or to repeat this autumn's theme of rural places as "real" and "pro American," using coded language to imply that big metropolitan areas are illegitimate and anti American. We are a metro nation and we do have a common stake in the success of all places -- from largest cities to the smallest hamlets.

Back in August, Citiwire's Neal Peirce noted that the convergence of city and suburban interests is already creating a more favorable environment for regional transit initiatives. It will be fascinating to see, following today's election, how this transition shapes federal policy too.

Photo of the flag flying in Inwood: Brad Aaron

Voters in North Hollywood Wait to Vote Yesterday

It was a late night for those waiting for results on Metro's transit tax proposal and the bonding proposition that would fund a high-speed rail proposition for a line between San Francisco and San Diego.  In the end, transit advocates got good news as both measures just achieved slim victories.

Supporters of both measures remind us that just because last night took care of the funding issue, nothing is built yet.  However, that didn't stop anyone from celebrating last night.

In a jubilant press release celebrating the passage of Prop. 1a, the High Speed Rail bonding measure, CALPIRG's Transit Advocate, Emily Rusch, proclaimed:

We couldn’t be more thrilled with voters’ approval of Prop 1A. With this vote, Californians decided to reduce our oil dependence, to build alternatives to traffic and long airport lines, and to help solve global warming. Californians were also voting to boost the economy. 

Prop 1A is another historic example of California leading the nation. This vote confirms California’s commitment to building high-speed rail. Now California leaders must continue fighting for the project in order to start laying the tracks as quickly as possible. Before we spend bond funds on construction, Congress and private companies will have to match California’s commitment to the train. We need that to happen quickly because this project cannot be delayed any longer.

Read more...

Though we found plenty of fodder this election season, transportation policy never emerged
as a consistent talking point in the presidential race. This is more
than a little surprising, considering the sad state of American
infrastructure and the importance of same to this country’s economic
and strategic well-being. Then again, what kind of dialogue can we
expect when one side’s position can essentially be summed up in three words, two of which are "drill."

On
this election eve, we turn to an unexpected source for a sober
summation of the future of transport under either a McCain or Obama
administration: the Pacific Shipper, "the Essential Transpacific News
Weekly." In an insider-y feature story posted today, the Shipper susses out some of the main policy differences
between the two candidates, from highways to waterways, and finds
electeds and experts who think each is in for a rude awakening when it
comes to funding.

Perhaps more than any national campaign in recent history, the major
candidates have staked out very clear and decidedly different stances
on transportation infrastructure investment.

McCain has made criticism of earmarks something of a crusade in his
campaign, and says he wants to send more decisions on spending
priorities to the states.

“I believe that a higher share of the taxes collected at the gas
pump should go back to the state where those taxes were paid,” the
Arizona Republican told the American Automobile Association, “and I’ve co-sponsored legislation that
would allow states to keep almost all of their gas tax revenues for
their own transportation projects without interference from
Washington.”

“We’ve got a problem,” Mortimer Downey, a former deputy secretary of
transportation in the Clinton administration and an adviser to the
Obama campaign, told a public forum in Washington last week on
transportation policy. “Infrastructure needs more investment. It is
important, it is crumbling, and other countries are doing more than we
are. We’ve got national issues we need to deal with, and transportation
is the critical tool for doing that.”

He said the Obama camp has “a vision” for the next highway bill. “It
should be a much better bill than the last couple. It shouldn’t have so
many earmarks in it,” Downey said.

At the same forum, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, chief economic adviser to
the McCain campaign, said the spending priorities are critical. “There
is no area where earmarking has been more visible than in highway
bills. We have to get more bang for the buck.”

Downey said the economy will make transportation programs more
important. Obama favors, he said, “an economic recovery measure that
would have infrastructure and get people working on, hopefully, small
projects that would roll out quickly.”

After
the jump, the Shipper looks at how the next admin might try to finance
the 2009 federal funding package, and what the US Department of
Transportation could look like under each.

Read more…

(Editor's note: I'll be downtown and on the Eastside for some Streetsfilms shooting.  In the meantime enjoy this Halloween story courtesy of Streetsblog editor-in-chief, Aaron Naperstek.

Before the financial meltdown severely undercut John McCain's presidential ambitions, his campaign was giddy over the apparent success of its energy policy message: Drill, baby, drill!

It is, after all, a simple sounding solution that appeals to politicians in love with the quick fix, oil companies desperate for access to new sources, and auto-dependent Americans, many of whom now find themselves stranded in far-off suburbs, trapped in expensive car commutes and completely lacking freedom of choice when it comes to transportation. No matter that drilling here and drilling now isn't going to do much of anything to reduce gasoline prices or wean Americans from their crushing oil dependence. 

If you're curious about the masterminds behind the message, head over to Newt Gingrich's "tri-partisan" American Solutions web site. There, you can download "The New Language of Smart Energy," a 42-page talking points memo from Republican pollster Frank Luntz. Luntz handily sums up his findings as "The 10 Communications Commandments for 2008." Not surprising, given the buckets of fossil fuel money behind Gingrich's American Solutions, the Commandments can pretty much be summed up as "Thou Shalt Drill. Thou Shalt Drill Here. Thou Shalt Drill Now."

Read more...

One could argue that the main battle over Measure R has been between a battle for the transit system that LA needs versus the parochial concerns of politicians fighting to get more money spent in their districts regardless of need.  Indeed, that's the argument that has dominated the debate despite the efforts of the Bus Rider's Union to inject race and socio-economic concerns and cyclists and pedestrians earlier efforts to set aside funds for non-motorized transportation.

Given that frame, these two images from the outstanding Metro Library struck me earlier today as the perfect frame for theat debate.  Two pictures to take with you into the booth tomorrow that help define what the argument is about.  In the end, who do you want to side with, politicians fighting for regional equity, or students fighting for a vision of Los Angeles having a complete transit map?  Do you want to support the guy with the "Gold Line Now" sign who apparently thinks the best way to fund transit projects is to vote against transit funding; or the students who, to a person, walked or biked to their political rally?

Both Photos Courtesy the Metro Library

You don't need me to tell you that there is a lot riding on next Tuesday's election.  To help anyone who has yet to make a decision on the presidential election, Prop 1A, Measure R, or local planning and transportation measures, I'm including a nearly complete set of links to Streetsblog stories about what's going to be on our ballot this fall.  Consider the comments section a place to put links to any other writing you've seen on the election or to let us know how you're going to vote.

Presidential Election

Where They Stand: Obama and McCain on Transportation

Palin Weighs In Against Pollution Fees for Ports of LA and Long Beach

Sarah Palin, Transit Advocate?

From Denver: Dems Discuss Funding Woes; Biden Says "Amtrak"

McCain Impressed by US Trains, So Long as They Don't Stay in US

Obama Calls for Investment in Regional Intercity Rail

Obama: I'll Boost Funds for Bike-Ped Projects If Elected

Read more...

Yesterday CALPIRG released a new one-minute video short showing members discussing why they are supporting Proposition 1A, the High Speed Rail bonding measure that will appear on next week’s ballot.  Reasons to support the proposition range from California’s needs, to the environmental benefits of rail, to it just being "hella awesome."

To support their video and other efforts, CALPIRG is also asking supporters to get behind an email campaign based on the popular game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon."  Despite Prop 1A’s popularity with rail enthusiasts and environmentalists, CALPIRG argues that this grass roots email campaign is necesary because mos trank and file Californians aren’t aware of the ballot proposition, High Speed Rail, or what’s at stake for our state transportation infrastructure in California.

I can’t possibly do justice to the "Prop. 1A Kevin Bacon Game" so just read their message to supporters and draft email to send to your contacts, after the jump.

Read more…