If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendars for November 5-7 when the California Bike Coalition rolls into town for the 2011 California Bike Summit which will feature rides and workshops throughout Downtown Los Angeles.  Early registration for the summit ends today, so click here to reserve your space..”

“We’re really excited to have the California Bike Coalition bring the California Bike Summite here in Los Angeles next month,” exclaims Alexis Lantz with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and Board Member with the California Bike Coalition.   “People from around the state will gather here to share stories and strategies to make California a better place to bike.”

The Summit kicks off with a relatively light day on Saturday featuring bike tours, an opening session and a cocktail party at the Kyoto Grand Hotel.

The Kyoto Grand is also the site of the Sunday sessions focused on “Our Strategy for Transforming the Golden State.”  Keynote speakers include leaders from Adventure Cycling (but not our old friend Amanda Lipsey) and SRAM.  Sessions will discuss how to organize a group ride and other ways to encourage friends and neighbors to ditch the car, even if just for a short time.

What do bike advocates need to do to get a million more people on bicycles in California?  With those kind of numbers, it would be more difficult for a progressive governor to issue a nonsensical veto statement after squashing common sense safety legislation.

On Monday, the topic of the day is Advocacy Best Practices.  Building on the work of the day before, this will be the day for sharing and learning skills necessary for successful advocacy campaigns to make streets safer and encourage better enforcement and education of cyclist rights.  Topics for Monday include:

• Complete streets
• Influencing Caltrans and your MPO
• Creating more safe routes to school
• Bicycle-friendly business districts
• Bicycle tourism and the economy
• Retailers and advocacy
• Benefits of bike-sharing
• Improve your fundraising
• Building membership
• Working the media
• Involving diverse groups
• Best internet advocacy
• Board of directors excellence

The Saturday and Sunday sessions will be held in the Kyoto Grand Hotel, a short walk from Union Station.  The Monday Session will be held at the California Endowment Conference Facilities, an even shorter walk from Union Station.

We’ll have more on the Summit as we get closer, includng an interview with the California Bike Coalition’s executive director next week, but if you want to receive the early registration price of $85, you need to register today!