Governor Signs Bill to Ease Parking Requirements for Affordable Housing
Governor Jerry Brown had a Sunday deadline to sign legislation or veto it. Late in the day on Friday he signed Assembly Bill 744, which allows affordable housing developers to build less parking than many local zoning regulations currently permit.
October 13, 2015
Governor Brown Signs Law Allowing Bicycle Ticket Diversion Programs
A new law just signed by Governor Jerry Brown will make it possible for bicyclists who are ticketed for certain infractions to attend a class on safe bicycle riding and thus reduce their fines.
September 22, 2015
Breaking: Last-Second Bill Would Increase Active Transportation Funding
This just in: Active transportation is finally getting some love in Sacramento. A bill was introduced today to double the funding available for projects and programs that encourage people to walk or ride bikes by making streets and paths safe and comfortable for them.
September 4, 2015
Another Fact-Free Attack on California Climate Change Bills
There's been a lot of media noise about ongoing efforts to pass new climate change legislation in California before the rapidly approaching deadline. One particular op-ed in the Orange County Register adds nothing useful to the debate, but as one of several efforts lately that have been working very hard to obscure facts, it deserves a wagging finger of shame.
September 2, 2015
First Cap-and-Trade Funds Awarded for Transit Projects
The California Transportation Commission began the process of allocating funds from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund at its monthly meeting on Friday. The first official allocations for the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program went to Sacramento, LA's MetroLink, and San Diego for projects that will allow them to offer better transit service, thus encouraging transit ridership and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
September 1, 2015
Opaque Process Leaves Californians in the Dark about Transportation Funding
Amid the swirling madness that is the final few weeks of the California legislative session—all bills must be voted on by September 11, or wait until next year—the question of how to raise, and spend, money on transportation is still very much up in the air. Increasingly, it looks like major decisions will be made behind closed doors and out of the public eye.
August 28, 2015
Senate Leader Dismisses Idea of Using Cap-and-Trade Funds for Road Repairs
At a press conference in Sacramento yesterday, Senate President Pro-Tem Kevin de Leon dismissed the idea, floated by Republican legislators and anti-tax advocates, that revenue in the state's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction fund could be used for road maintenance and repair.
August 21, 2015
Finally Transit Is Included in CA Transportation Funding Discussions
On Friday, in separate press events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, several members of the California legislature presented new bills for consideration in the ongoing legislative special session on transportation funding.
August 18, 2015
New Website Quantifies Benefits of California Climate Change Policies
Each time California legislators consider its climate change policies, questions arise about what benefits the state is receiving for its current investments. Until today, there has been no centralized source of data on the state's investments from its cap-and-trade program nor on resulting greenhouse gas emissions or other benefits.
July 15, 2015
California Legislative Update
In Sacramento, bills are beginning to move more quickly through the committee process as this week's policy committee deadline approaches. Below are highlights on some of the bills pertaining to sustainable streets issues.
July 14, 2015