CalPIRG Sponsors Smart Transportation Conference Next Friday

Next Friday, CalPIRG is hosting a major conference about what the upcoming reauthorization of the federal Transportation Trust Fund could mean for Los Angeles, if we want it enough.  New federal language in transportation funding legislation could bring major changes to Los Angeles and the rest of the country.  However, CalPIRG is perfectly able to promote their own event:

The City of Angels has come a long way by
passing Measure R and the High-Speed Rail Initiative. But we are not
there yet. We have another significant opportunity as Congress
considers the next national transportation budget. Please join us as we
decide how to bring a faster, smarter, safer, greener transportation
system to Los Angeles.

calpirg.jpg

PLEASE JOIN US:

When: May 1st,
2009

10:00
am – 3:00 pm

Where: Cathedral of Our Lady the Angels
555
W Temple St
Los
Angeles
, CA 90012

———————-

Angelenos
clearly want more
and better transportation options, as evidenced by the passage of major
ballot
measures to invest in local transportation and high-speed rail to Northern California. What are the next steps to 21st Century
Transportation? Major initiatives in Congress could reform the next
transportation funding bill and cap global warming pollution.
Meanwhile, the
Los Angeles MTA is developing their long-range plan for Los Angeles
transportation and the California High-Speed Rail Authority is moving
forward
with plans for a 220-mile an hour bullet train. Come learn more about
opportunities,
obstacles, and how you can play a role in Los Angeles’ transportation future.

————————-

*Lunch to
be provided
*

Confirmed
Speakers and
Moderators Include:

  • The
    Honorable Bob Blumenfield, Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee on
    Information Technology and Transportation
  • The
    Honorable Mike Eng, Chair, Assembly Transportation Committee
  • The
    Honorable Judge Quentin Kopp, Chair, California High-Speed Rail Authority
  • The
    Honorable Jan Perry, Councilwoman, Los Angeles 9th District
  • Mr.
    James Corless, Director, Transportation for America
  • Mr.
    Michael Turner, Manager, State Affairs of Los Angeles MTA
  • Mr.
    Richard Slawson, Executive, Los Angeles and Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council
  • Mr.
    Michael Woo, Professor, University of Southern California and Los Angeles City Planning Commissioner
  • Mr.
    Alex Pugh, Senior Policy Manager, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Mr. Dan Turner, Editorial Writer, Los
    Angeles Times
  • Mr. Ed Begley, Actor and Activist

Please RSVP. Click
here,
or contact Erin Steva at esteva@calpirg.org
or 213-251-3680 x. 308

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

CALPIRG: Don’t Waste the Stimulus on Highway Expansion

|
Winner of CALPIRG’s 2008 "Save Traffic" Contest Yesterday, the California Pubic Interest Research Group, aka CALPIRG, released Spending the Stimulus, How California Can Put Thousands Back to Work & Jumpstart a 21st Century Transportation System, a report urging Caltrans and Governor Schwarzenegger not to waste the $2.5 billion in stimulus funds on projects that would […]

Calpirg, Smart Growth America Slam State Stimulus Spending

|
When the government passed the stimulus bill last spring, it set a 120 day deadline for states to allocate at least half of transportation funds in the bill. As that deadline passes today, CALPIRG and Smart Growth America released a report detailing how California is spending its stimulus dollars. The news isn’t good.  Despite pretty […]

CALPIRG Students Rally for High Speed Rail

|
It’s no surprise that CALPIRG is a strong supporter of High Speed Rail for California.  While the rest of L.A. County was holding their breath on the L.A. County transit tax ballot proposition known as Measure R in 2008, CALPIRG was more concerned with a state bonding proposition that would set aside billions for the […]

Leahy Outlines His Vision for Metro at Calpirg Conference

|
There were a lot of highlights from last Friday’s "21st Century Transportation for Los Angeles" conference sponsored by CalPIRG, but many of them will require more research before I can write a full story on them.  From Asm. Mike Eng’s channeling of Gavin Newsom when he declared that the 710 Tunneling Project is going to […]

California, Los Angeles, and the Stimulus

|
With news out of Washington that the Obama administration’s federal stimulus plan isn’t going to be passed anytime in the next couple of weeks, our state and local political leaders now have the time to re-think their stimulus lists while the political drama unfolds in Washington, D.C. At the state level, CALPIRG took its shot […]