Streetsblog started its summer fund drive with a goal of raising $10,000. And we end it exactly $517 short.
We're going to call that a victory, and readers should be proud for helping this publication continue the fight for safe, healthy, livable, and equitable streets.
If you're a regular reader, you know the importance of independent, top-tier journalists covering beats as complicated as transportation reform, equity and justice in public planning, access to open space, and public health. All three Streetsblogs in California rely on a mix of advertising, grants and reader donations, so without your support, we wouldn’t be able to keep operating as we currently do. In case you’re a Streetsblog reader still on the fence about making a donation, we wanted to highlight the most popular stories from August on each of the three websites. Each represents our ongoing coverage.
Streetsblog California
‘Amtrak Joe’ Wants Electric Bullet Trains for California
President Joe Biden and Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer underscored their support for funding California’s bullet train project out of the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill. “Fresno is ground zero for California’s high-speed rail efforts,” said Dyer in a Zoom call with the President. “Federal assistance is vital. And I’m hopeful this infrastructure bill will provide that support to us here in Fresno.” “I’m a big rail guy. We have more money in this area, for high-speed rail, than all the money we’ve spent on Amtrak–this is a gigantic investment,” responded the President. It’s yet another indication that the 2020 election and the resulting infrastructure funds made available promise to be a major boon for California’s high-speed rail project.
Streetsblog Los Angeles
Anatomy of an Officer-Involved Explosion: A Post-Mortem on LAPD's E. 27th Street Fireworks Blast
A year ago, Councilmember Curren Price co-authored a motion to shift $150 million from LAPD's budget as part of the city's effort to begin the process of re-imagining public safety. A month ago, LAPD called everyone but Price's office to watch them detonate fireworks found in a residence in his district. The botched operation rocked the city, displaced at least 75 people, injured at least 17, contributed to the deaths of elders Auzie Houchins and Ramón Reyes, and shattered windows, shuttered businesses, and destroyed vehicles up and down E. 27th Street. LAPD's first public step in the wake of the blast was to launch a misinformation campaign. In the subsequent days and months, the department has worked to limit the focus of the inquiry into the blast, including trying to convince Angelenos that the LAPD's globally renowned bomb squad had less of an understanding of common fireworks' net explosive weights than the average teen pyro. In this deep dive, we unpack how the LAPD's focus on the spectacle opened the door to such spectacular negligence, and what it all means with regard to larger questions about police accountability and reform.
Streetsblog San Francisco
Punishment Pass on Great Highway
A road rage incident that could have seriously injured or killed a San Francisco mother illustrates why the Great Walkway must be restored. “The punishment passes were terrifying. I had been participating in a peaceful protest against allowing cars on the Great Highway, and I left to pick up my son from his first day back at school,” wrote Jessica Jenkins in an email to Streetsblog about the incident. “I expected some level of honking and yelling by drivers that had been delayed for ten minutes by our protest. While I did not expect to be physically assaulted, I’m not surprised.”
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Thanks again for your support. Of course, it's never too late to contribute. If you’d like to help us slide into home plate on that last $517, please click here and donate.
