Inland Valleys

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:

We co-sponsored SB 760 under author Senator Wiener, which would have required the State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) implement Complete Streets near critical locations. As we reported in January, it was scaled back due to concerns over the effort to repeal last year’s increase in the Gas Tax. While we plan to reintroduce a bill with similar objectives next session, Sen.

Last week, California voters supported equitable transportation, open space and climate spending by large margins at the ballot box.

If your community is planning to apply for Cycle 4 of the Active Transportation Program, you have until July 31 to do so. Information and resources for applicants are available on the CalTrans website and at the Active Transportation Resource Center.