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Panel challenges transit funding
OAKLAND - A minority advisory committee headed by a Mill Valley man is pushing a key Bay Area transportation funding agency to spend more money on transit in low-income areas, such as Marin City and the Canal neighborhood.
But a Metropolitan Transportation Commission committee Friday rejected a proposal to adopt guidelines on the issue, saying equity in transit was too hard to define.
But a Metropolitan Transportation Commission committee Friday rejected a proposal to adopt guidelines on the issue, saying equity in transit was too hard to define.
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Update: MTC Rejects Bid for Environmental Justice Principles
A Metropolitan Transportation Commission committee today rejected for now a request by activists that it adopt a set of "environmental justice principles" aimed at remedying alleged transit funding inequities for minority and low-income people.
However, Legislation Committee members said they will revisit the issue later this year after new members are assigned to the committee.
However, Legislation Committee members said they will revisit the issue later this year after new members are assigned to the committee.
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Pleasanton Officials Face Lawsuit for Violating Affordable Housing Laws
Public Advocates Inc. filed a suit against the City of Pleasanton on October 17, 2006 on behalf of Urban Habitat and Sandra De Gregorio, a low-income Latina mother and Pleasanton resident. Pleasanton is an affluent regional job center that has imposed rigid growth control policies that block residential development, particularly the development of affordable family housing. The suit challenges the City’s policies and practices that exclude housing for low-income families, focusing in particular on (a) the City’s failure to implement a program in its Housing Element that committed the City to rezone 30-40 acres of commercial land for high-density affordable housing, and (b) the City’s Housing Cap, which sets a ceiling on growth within its urban boundary at 29,000 units.
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Community Based Transportation: What's the Plan?
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is sponsoring 28 Community Based Transportation Plans (CBTPs) to identify the transit and mobility barriers facing low-income neighborhoods. Currently, the TJWG is involved in two CBTP processes: one in South/West Berkeley, and another in East Oakland. Berkeley-based planning firm Design, Community & Environment has been selected as the lead consultant for both the planning studies. Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), a TJWG member, is involved in the outreach process for the SW Berkeley CBTP, and is currently working together with West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation to ensure a robust outreach process.
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Oakland First City in the US to Contemplate Oil Independence!
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Working Families Deliver the Vote!
Working families help win back the Congress, exceeding the 15-seat margin needed in the House and six seats in the Senate. In the greater Bay Area, a dynamic coalition picked up the CD-11, electing Jerry McNerney in an upset victory. Despite negative campaigning, voter and volunteer fatigue, union members worked more than 1,900 shifts, including over 400 shifts in the last four days of the “Get Out The Vote!” activities. This included 30,000 phone calls and 6,000 door-to-door visits.
The results: 15-20 point margins for mo
The results: 15-20 point margins for mo
Marin Grassroots Groups Draw From Leadership Training Conference
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Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Oakland General Strike!
Come celebrate the right to organize, the courage of workers, and the 60th Anniversary of Oakland’s General Strike. On this spot, street car driver Al Brown stopped his car to honor a picket line of women retail clerks. The workers were on strike to demand recognition of their union at Kahns and Hastings Department Stores. When Brown stopped his car, the streetcars behind him stopped, too. Soon more than 100,000 East Bay workers joined in a “work holiday” in support of the clerks. The Oakland General Strike lasted three days. Its solidarity led to union recognition for the retail clerks, a more progressive city government, and better lives for working families. More information about the General Strike can be found at www.alamedalabor.org.
EJ Principles: Two passed, two more to go!
For the past two years, the TJWG along with members of the Minority Citizens Advisory Committee (MCAC) have been working on passing four Environmental Justice Principles at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the regional transportation agency. These principles would set forth a regional protocol for identifying and mitigating inequities in regional transportation funding. Amid much debate, two of the principles passed earlier this year.
Prior to the adoption of the remaining two principles, the MTC had directed staff to perform an equity analysis. The TJWG has been actively involved and engaged in this analysis process, recommending alternative methodologies essential to viewing equity from multiple perspectives. The latter two principles are scheduled for a discussion and potentially a vote at the next Legislation Commission meeting scheduled for January 12th, 2007. We encourage organizations/individuals to write letters of support for the remaining two EJ principles ahead of this meeting, and will provide talking points for interested parties.
Prior to the adoption of the remaining two principles, the MTC had directed staff to perform an equity analysis. The TJWG has been actively involved and engaged in this analysis process, recommending alternative methodologies essential to viewing equity from multiple perspectives. The latter two principles are scheduled for a discussion and potentially a vote at the next Legislation Commission meeting scheduled for January 12th, 2007. We encourage organizations/individuals to write letters of support for the remaining two EJ principles ahead of this meeting, and will provide talking points for interested parties.
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Greenlining Institute Reveals Foundation 'Redlining' of Minority-Led Organizations
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