SGV Connect

This week, #DamienTalks with Claremont Mayor and Foothill Transit Board Member Sam Pedroza and Bike SGV Education Director Jose Jimenez.

The conversation with Mayor Pedroza is pretty wide ranging, but covers three major areas: teh expansion of Livable Streets in Claremont, the flexibility of Foothill Transit as it seeks to maximize the value of its service and this fall's transportation sales tax ballot measure, Measure M. 

Much of the discussion of Claremont focuses on a complete streets plan for Claremont's portion of the iconic Route 66. Doug Lewis wrote an in-depth story on the plan for Streetsblog earlier this summer. That story can be found, here.

You can give feedback to Mayor Padroza on his Twitter Feed at @CouncilmanSam.

Next, we talk with Jose Jimenez, the education director for Bike SGV. Jimenez provides an update the Bike Education Center in El Monte and some of the classes its offering this fall and winter. For more on the Education Center, visit Bike SGV's website.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

 

This week, Damien Talks with Wes Reutimann, the executive director of Bike SGV. The nearly-twenty minute interview covers a wide-range of topics from the Union Street protected bikeways plan, to an update on the 626 to, of course, Pokemon Go.

Union Street in Pasadena runs parallel to the more famous Colorado Avenue in Pasadena. The city decided not to put protected bike lanes on Colorado for fears it would create problems during the world-famous Rose Parade. Now, opposition is rising to the lanes on the still much-used parallel street.

As for the 626, the super open streets event will finally hit the street in 2017, after a postponement caused by the wildfires in June. A date hasn't been announced yet, but there is hope for February. Keep your calendar open.

To listen to the interview, click below. If you have any story ideas for us going forward, please contact me at [email protected] or on twitter @damientypes

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

 

Today #DamienTalks with Metro Board Chair and Duarte City Councilmember John Fasana. Actually, it's more like #DougTalks, as Doug Lewis completes his internship with us by conducting the majority of our interview with the Metro boss.

Earlier this week, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors took the last step in placing Measure M on the ballot this November. If it receives two-thirds support from L.A. County voters, the current half-cent transportation sales tax passed by voters in 2008 will be extended until 2050 and a new half-cent tax will be added.

Fasana, who is known for being something of a transportation wonk, can barely contain his excitement for how Metro will be able to expand transportation options and improving the quantity and quality of Metro's services.

Doug and the Metro Chair also discuss access to parks and other public spaces. Yes, of course there's a discussion of the first-mile last-mile issues the agency is continually trying to figure out; but there is more the agency can do to provide access to our open spaces.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

Welcome back to #DamienTalksSGV. This week, we're looking at a best practice from outside the SGV, a new pedestrian wayfinding signage campaign in Glendale. The campaign combines a traditional campaign with a call to action as Glendale develops a new pedestrian safety campaign.

Outreach for the campaign includes the signs, a social media campaign and outreach through traditional venues. Interestingly, the signs include information not just on how to be involved in the plan, but an invitation to join the conversation online by posting with the hastag #GlendaleWalks.

If you want talk with Amber Hawkes, who is overseeing the campaign on behalf of the City of Glendale, you can email her : [email protected].

When #DamienTalks returns in July, we'll be returning to the "two interview" format with regular discussions with staff and volunteers with BikeSGV. We're also booking conversations with Metro Board Members and executives with Foothill Transit and the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority to discuss the upcoming vote on extending and increasing Metro's transit sales tax. What will it mean to the San Gabriel Valley and its communities? We'll have a lot of different viewpoints in the lead up to the election.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

 

Welcome back to #DamienTalks SGV. This week, #DamienTalks with Blair Miller, an organizer with the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition. Pasadena was scheduled to vote on an ordinance that would have reduced, and in some cases eliminated, parking requirements for new development near Transit Oriented Development on Monday, July 18. However, late opposition arrived, and the hearing was postponed until early September.

Miller explains how the proposal came out of the community plan update, how it's evolved, what it's goals are and why opposition sprung up at the 11th hour. Miller and the Complete Streets Coalition believe the region is moving away from car-dominated travel towards a more balanced system and want to be certain Pasadena has the planning in place to support this change.

In 2015, Jerry Brown signed legislation that reduced parking requirements near transit oriented development for lower income and market rate housing. Since then, communities around California have been expanding on that legislation to loosen parking requirements for other types of development.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

 

Today, #DamienTalks with Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, a senior staff attorney with Public Advocates about Governor Jerry Brown’s legislative language to streamline the environmental process for certain types of housing development.

Public Advocates was one of the leaders in circulating a letter criticizing Brown’s language, charging that the governor’s stated goal won’t be met by his proposal. Instead, he charges that the language would do more decrease lower income communities from impacting development in their community than it will to dramatically expand the state’s affordable housing stock.

Two weeks ago, #DamienTalks featured Jason Islas, the editor of Santa Monica Next, explaining how he and many other advocates for increasing our state’s housing stock feel the legislation is much needed. However, many of the groups opposing the measure are affordable housing advocates from cities and communities from around the state.

Tepperman-Gelfant expects the legislation to be publicly debated next month. Get up-to-date on the progressive argument on both sides of the debate by listening to my interview with Tepperman-Gelfant below. If you missed it, the interview with Islas can be found here.

We’re always looking for sponsors, show ideas, and feedback. You can contact me at [email protected], at twitter @damientypes, online at Streetsblog California or on Facebook at StreetsblogCA.

   

Today, #DamienTalks with Jason Islas, the editor of Santa Monica Next. This podcast featured Islas a couple of months ago to discuss a proposal by Assemblymember Richard Bloom to make it easier to build more housing. 

  The spirit of Bloom's proposal lives on in a rider to the California Budget by Governor Jerry Brown. Islas will discuss that rider and why, in his view, the legislation would help ease the affordable housing crisis in California, especially the overheated markets in Los Angeles and the Greater Bay Area.   The legislation is controversial, next week we'll have someone in opposition featured on the podcast. We're going to try and cover both sides of this issue, as there are a lot of good people on both sides of the conversation trying to protect communities and increase our state's housing stock.   This week's #DamienTalks is also the first interview given by Islas since Santa Monica Next was awarded the "Excellence in Communication" prize from the American Planning Association in Los Angeles. Just in time for our fundraising drive, "Next's excellence" is a credit to the work done by the entire Streetsblog California team. So if you support our efforts, please consider donating today!

We’re always looking for sponsors, show ideas, and feedback. You can contact me at [email protected], at twitter @damientypes, online at Streetsblog California or on Facebook at StreetsblogCA.

This week, #DamienTalks with Laura Cornejo, the sustainability officer for Metro who is one of the agency's leaders for Open Streets events. Metro has been funding a series of Open Streets events throughout L.A. County, ending with this weekend's 626, the amazing 18-mile multi-jurisdictional car-free party.

If you're just joining us, 626 Golden Streets will be this Sunday, June 26. Metro, Bike SGV, seven cities and a host of other organizations invite you to explore ​18+ miles of open streets linking 6 Foothill Gold Line stations and 7 San Gabriel Valley cities ​stretching from South Pasadena to Azusa.

For more information, visit 626GoldenStreets.com.

After the talk with Cornejo, we are replaying our #DamienTalks from April 7 with South Pasadena Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Cacciotti. Cacciotti has been a critical figure in the effort to create the 626 both as an elected official and an advocate. As a fun bonus, the interview takes place on the Gold Line itself as Michael is heading home from work.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of Downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit foothilltransit.org. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

This week, #DamienTalks with David Diaz (again), the Programs Director for Bike SGV about this weekend's two-city open streets event, Viva SGV!

The cities of El Monte and South El Monte have worked together to program a 5-mile open streets event that will run this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. While the event is not as large as the groundbreaking 626 open streets event in two weeks, it will be the largest event of its kind in the SGV to date.

Bike SGV has been working with both cities to create fun programs for the event, and Diaz outlines some of their efforts. The event will be easy to access with or without a car, as both Metrolink and Metro have stations at the north end of the route and Bike SGV is planning feeder rides from Baldwin Hill and Pasadena the morning of the event.

For more information, visit the Viva SGV Website.

We’re always looking for more show ideas. If you have any thoughts on the podcast, good or bad, please let me know. You can email me at[email protected] or tweet @damientypes.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit. Foothill Transit has been a leader in sustainable transportation for years. And now they’re committed to having a 100% electric bus fleet by 2030. To celebrate, Foothill Transit is giving away prizes and sharing facts about how their electric buses help clear the air. Visit Foothill Transit’s e-bus sweepstakes webpage to see how you can join in the eco-friendly fun!

This week, #DamienTalksSGV with Nancy Bond of Move Monrovia. Move Monrovia was originally formed to help the city plan for the Gold Line Station that opened earlier this year. However, the citizen's group has continued to grow and has become instrumental in pushing the city to embrace infrastructure improvements to create safer avenues for walking and bicycling.

And the city is responding. Monrovia has quickly completed the process of creating its Draft Bicycle Master Plan that could be approved as early as the end of June. The planning process began at the end of last year. But as Bond describes, the aggressive timeline did not leave advocates feeling as though they were shortchanged by the process.

Move Monrovia logo

The City of Monrovia Planning Commission will meet next on June 15, and is expected to vote on the Bicycle Master Plan at that meeting. Get updates on the meeting, here.

We’re always looking for more show ideas. If you have any thoughts on the podcast, good or bad, please let me know. You can email me at [email protected] or tweet @damientypes.

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit. Foothill Transit has been a leader in sustainable transportation for years. And now they’re committed to having a 100% electric bus fleet by 2030. To celebrate, Foothill Transit is giving away prizes and sharing facts about how their electric buses help clear the air. Visit Foothill Transit’s e-bus sweepstakes webpage to see how you can join in the eco-friendly fun!