Last month, we were pleased to join other walking advocates at PedsCount 2018, hosted by California Walks. California Senior Policy Manager Jonathan Matz and Senior Equity and Policy Manager Demi Espinoza both attended the conference, which highlighted the obstacles to full use of and participation in our streets faced by communities that are marginalized due to race, gender and disability.

While we wait for the results of Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP) to be announced at the end of the year, we have produced an analysis of the submittal log. A few things stuck out to us about the types and sizes of the applications that were submitted:

Last week, California voters rejected Proposition 6, which would have repealed the SB1 transportation funding increases, by a ten point margin. As we noted in previous editions of the e-news, Proposition 6 would have resulted in a self-inflicted crisis on our state’s transportation system, not only removing billions of already allocated dollars, but rendering virtually impossible any future increases in revenue.

With the end of the 2017-2018 legislative session, it’s an opportune moment to review the fortunes of some of the bills we have supported this year.

Hundreds of applications were submitted for the recent Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP), and only a small percentage will be successful.  Our new publication, California’s Active Transportation Program: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Application Process, can help you work through the process. This 22-page document offers a road map to all five application categories of the ATP in a digestible form.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will be convening a September board meeting to discuss Assembly Bill 617, the Community Air Protection Program. AB 617 will mandate new community-driven action strategies to reduce air pollution and improve public health for communities who experience disproportionate burden of poor air quality.

This week, leaders from around the world are gathering in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit. As a counterpoint, It Takes Roots is organizing a series of events throughout the week to call attention to the impact of climate change on low-income communities of color and calling for climate solutions that support environmental justice.

SB 1 funded a variety of new programs, and the California Transportation Commission (CTC) is having workshops to get input on the guidelines for two of these programs: