Editorial
Pandemic to End in California on June 15, Governor Decides
Gov. Gavin Newsom has foreseen the end of the pandemic that has killed over 61,000 Californians and has taken a page from his Republican counterpart in the second most populous state by setting a date when all restrictions will be lifted.
Biden Administration Rules Out Gas Tax Hike
Shortly after Transportation secretary-nominee Pete Buttigieg told a Senate committee that all options were on the table to pay for federal transportation investment, a spokesperson ruled out a gas tax hike.
Outdoor Dining and Indoor Haircuts Return to California
With COVID infections plummeting, Gov. Gavin Newsom surprisingly lifted California's regional stay home order that had imposed the nation's strictest personal and business restrictions during the most deadly phase of the pandemic.
California Migration Boosts Nevada Population Above 3 Million
Californians fleeing the nation's highest housing prices were key to Nevada's growth according to newly released Census data. The Las Vegas Review-Journal's reporter, editorial board, and readers all had something to say about the newcomers.
California's Most Controversial Housing Bill Advances with Amendments
Senate Bill 50, by Scott Wiener, advanced on two fronts last week: On Wednesday, it passed easily out of its first committee with new "Minneapolis-style" amendments. On Sunday, it received a New York Times editorial endorsement.
More Fallout From Downsizing California High-Speed Rail
A San Francisco Chronicle editorial warns that San Francisco must find funds, intended to come from the state's ambitious rail project, to extend the Caltrain commuter rail line to the SalesForce Transit Center.
Late Election Result: Transportation Sales Tax Appears to Pass in San Mateo County, Calif.
Transportation advocates have been patiently waiting since Nov. 6 for the results of a half-cent, 30-year county sales tax measure, 50 percent of which would benefit Samtrans bus and Caltrain needs and 5% bike/ped. It needs 66.67% of votes to pass.
IPCC Report Sways Microsoft to Endorse Carbon Fee Initiative on Washington Ballot
A dire report on climate change issued by a United Nations panel influenced Washington-based Microsoft to take a position on a controversial state carbon fee, Initiative 1631. Oil companies are fighting back, citing wide exemptions from the fee.
Signatures Submitted for Initiative to Reform California Proposition 13
A coalition of groups advocating for more funding for local communities and schools want to reform the landmark tax-cutting initiative by treating commercial and industrial properties different than residential, creating the so-called "split roll."
Keeping Old Coal Plants Operating Just Became a Matter of National Security
The president hopes to revitalize the nation's sagging coal industry by forcing utilities to purchase power from aging coal and nuclear power plants in the name of national defense. The news is already paying dividends for coal companies.
Editorial Exposes Bay Area Housing Hypocrisy
Cities can't have it both ways on the housing crisis, asserts an SF Chronicle editorial. Case in point: Berkeley passes a resolution to declare homelessness a state of emergency while opposing legislation to allow BART to develop its parking lots.
How Best to Pay for Park, Wildlife, and Water Improvements
Only one of the five propositions on California's June primary ballot is a general obligation bond measure. Prop. 68 authorizes $4 billion for projects benefiting parks and water quality. Opponents prefer a pay-as-you-go approach using general funds.
Four Interest Groups Contributed to the California Transit-Housing Bill's Defeat
Two journalists discuss what led to the defeat of the SB 827, the controversial bill which garnered national attention and lots of in-state opposition from groups that one would think would support the effort to address the state's housing crisis.
Speculation Continues on the Death of the Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar
The New York Times transit reporter looks into the lack of progress on the $2.5 billion project proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in his 2016 State of the City speech. The mayor responds angrily to a Daily News article casting doubt on the project.
A Traffic Solution 'Straight Out of the 1950s'
That's how the Los Angeles Times editorial board characterized the $6 billion plan by Los Angeles Metro to widen the 710 freeway. "A waste of money," they assert. Key to the solution is how to deal with goods movement from the seaport complex.
Bay Area's Transbay Dilemma: Second BART Tube or Second Bay Bridge?
In December, Sen. Dianne Feinstein reactivated her call for a southern crossing over the Bay while the BART Board last week began studying a second Transbay tube. The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board opines on which is preferable.
Power Shifts to Cities in San Diego County's Embattled Regional Planning Agency
Larger cities in California's second most populous county will be given more power thanks to a bill that reforms the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). One result may be that more public transit measures appear on the ballot.
What it Takes To Pass a Transportation Sales Tax Measure in California
Ventura County's transportation sales tax measure failed after receiving almost 57 percent of the vote, illustrating the difficulty in passing tax measures intended for transportation improvements in California.
Bay Area Sends Mixed Message on BART Funding
BART won big on election night with the passage of Measure RR, a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond measure. But the San Francisco Chronicle observes that results from two other local ballot measures suggest a mixed message on the rapid transit system.
The Critical Importance of Bicycle Infrastructure to Public Health
The lead editorial in the December issue of American Journal of Public Health provides the introduction for two research papers on the relationship between bicycling safety and infrastructure expansion in Boston and Vision Zero in U.S. and Sweden.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
