In late February, we joined our partners in the Sustainable Communities for All (SC4A) Coalition for a lobby day at the State Capitol, meeting with staff in the Governor’s Office, State Senate and State Assembly to discuss how to spend revenues from California’s Cap and Trade program. Specifically, while supporting the continual appropriations, especially for Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, Low Carbon Transit Operations and Intercity Transit and Rail Capital, we expressed our concerns with the Governor’s proposal to use discretionary funds primarily for zero emissions cars. Rather, we advocated for a portfolio of investments that would focus on reducing auto dependency altogether, such as the Active Transportation Program and Student Transit Passes. We received some encouraging responses, especially in the Assembly. While negotiations on how to allocate the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund are expected to carry well into the summer, we’re glad we took the opportunity to start these discussions early. Now that results from February’s auction are in place, SC4A will be drafting a platform with precise dollar numbers for each of our priority programs.
