TransForm in the News
-
May 15, 2013
Yesterday, Governor Jerry Brown unveiled his budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year that includes the first round of funds collected under the cap and trade system. In the budget, Brown “loans” the half billion in funds collected to the general fund to be paid back at some point in the unspecified future.
“We disagree with the Governor’s proposal to transfer the $500 million in cap-and-trade auction revenues to the general fund and postpone needed investments in projects and programs that could achieve greenhouse gas reductions this year,” writes Stuart Cohen, the executive director of TransForm CA.
“While we appreciate the Governor’s interest in taking a prudent approach to ensure that the cap-and-trade revenues are spent in ways that best meet the program’s goals of maximizing greenhouse gas reductions there are existing and proposed transportation projects and programs that these revenues could be invested in to meet these goals and reap significant economic and public health benefits for all Californians, especially disadvantaged communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. “
-
April 26, 2013
GreenTRIP works with cities and developers to create buildings that generate less traffic.
-
April 26, 2013
Better scrutiny is needed to ensure that revenues from California's landmark cap-and-trade auctions fund the best choices for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, state air board members said yesterday.
A week after the Golden State released its draft plan for spending cap-and-trade money, some Air Resources Board (ARB) members said they wanted ways of evaluating the most worthy recipients, to avoid charges that the program plays favorites.
"We really need to make this performance-based as much as possible," said board member Daniel Sperling. "It really lends itself to just getting politicized too much."
-
April 26, 2013
ike more than 15 million other Californians, Mario Virgen commutes to work. In fact, as a self-employed janitor, Virgen is on the move all day, crisscrossing San Jose between his various jobs.
In the past, all that commuting took a major bite out of his budget. Most Californians spend one out of every five dollars they earn on transportation. But unlike most Californians, Virgen now has a big advantage. Since last August, when he moved to the Fourth Street Apartments in downtown San Jose, his commute costs are paid for by his building manager as part of an innovative program known as GreenTRIP.
-
April 24, 2013
“MTC’s plan follows a 1970s-era Caltrans practice that limits Express Lanes to new construction only, without even studying the option of optimizing existing lanes,” wrote TransForm Deputy Director Jeff Hobson in a blog post. “This kind of outdated thinking is hardly the best approach to solving 21st century transportation problems – and would completely exclude some of the most congested stretches of highway from the plan.”
-
February 28, 2013
“We want this money to be invested in long-term investments to reduce dependency on the automobile,” argues Wiggins. “These funds come from cap and trade from greenhouse gases, so they should go to pay for programs that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in our air.”
-
January 31, 2013
A petition launched last week, led by Safe Routes, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, TransForm, California Walks and the California Bike Coalition, urges the Governor “to make the new Active Transportation Program truly transformational for bicycling and walking in the state.” So far, more than 7,000 people and 150 organizations have signed it.
-
January 27, 2013
AC Transit was awarded California’s highest environmental honor for its use of hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels, Tuesday evening.
The agency was chosen for the award in part because of its comprehensive use of hydrogen fuel cells in its buses. Along with the 16 other awardees, AC Transit was honored with the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award at a ceremony in Sacramento.
“It’s really great to see AC Transit receive recognition from the governor for this program,” said Shannon Tracey, communications and development manager at Transform, an organization that works to improve public transportation in the Bay Area. “Zero emission buses reduce emissions where they travel, and that’s particularly beneficial to low-income communities in the East Bay that already suffer from high asthma rates due to air pollution.”
-
January 18, 2013
Advocates for San Francisco’s low-income communities have issued a new report calling for policy changes intended to improve Muni service, increase mobility for transit-dependent San Franciscans, reduce pollution from driving, and improve the city’s economy.
Jeff Hobson, deputy director of TransForm, said the group ”welcomes POWER’s presence and organizing in the struggle to win better, more affordable, reliable, and efficient transit for everyone.”
-
December 26, 2012
Every day, San Franciscans pay the price of an underfunded transportation system. We have all experienced painfully overcrowded bus rides ... or, worse yet, the bus that never shows up. Now, Muni is reducing service during Christmas week, as it is faced with a $7 million deficit this fiscal year.
Today, we are finally facing up to the reality that our declining transportation system hurts us all. It hurts our economy and it hurts people all along the economic spectrum. San Francisco is a world-class city in many ways, but we have a long way to go to have a world-class transportation system.
-
November 29, 2012
Before taking the helm of California's High-Speed Rail Authority, Dan Richard told Gov. Jerry Brown that the plan was "really screwed up and going to end up biting you in the ankles."
Richard didn't like the idea of sending it up the Peninsula to San Francisco as opposed to traversing Altamont Pass. He also was in league with those who thought laying the rail along a stretch of the Central Valley was a bad beginning to the ambitious $69 billion project.
But that was then. Thursday, Richard told about 60 people gathered at San Jose State for a high-speed rail forum that he no longer has "the luxury of being a guy throwing stones."
-
October 3, 2012
Manolo González-Estay of TransForm said the expenditure plan for Measure B reflects a very inclusive and democratic process of deciding what to prioritize, where to invest, and how decisions will be made. González-Estay also said Measure B1 will make a positive difference toward achieving environmental goals. "They're conscious of climate change," he said of ACTC. "They're going beyond SB 375 in this plan," he added, referring to the state law that requires greenhouse gas reductions of 15 percent from transportation planning by 2035.
-
June 14, 2012
A California nonprofit has released a report on the merits of high-speed rail along with recommendations on ways to move forward with the project.
The report, "Moving Ahead with High Speed Rail" was released by TransForm, an Oakland-based nonprofit dedicated to improving transportation in the Bay Area and statewide.
-
April 27, 2012
More than 100 Californians from around the state are attending the Transportation Choices Summit and Advocacy Day on May 1 and 2, organized by the non-profit group TransForm and co-hosted by Move San Diego. The message they wish to send is simple. Californians need real transportation choices: safe, abundant and affordable options for walking, biking and transit.
“Our economy, environment and quality of life depend on it,” said Elyse Lowe, executive director for Move San Diego. “We must improve transportation options for our region’s current residents and to accommodate the next generation of San Diegans to come.”
-
April 27, 2012
“This plan represents a big step in making bus service significantly better in the East Bay,” said Marta Lindsey, communications director for TransForm. “But it’s also a big step for the entire Bay Area, as it will showcase what’s possible: faster, more reliable, and more frequent buses – plus a better experience for riders all-around and at an incredible value.”
Marta noted that East Bay BRT has the highest cost-efficiency rating from the Federal Transit Administration of any public transportation project in the nation currently competing for federal funds.