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. 

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.

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!

This week, #DamienTalks with Dave Campbell of Bike East Bay. According to Melanie Curry, Bike East Bay runs the "biggest, baddest Bike to Work Day in the world."

Earlier this month, she wrote, "What’s indisputable is that Bike East Bay, then known as the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, kicked off its first Bike to Work Day in 1994 and, in the 22 years since then, the event has grown ever more popular amid a rapid increase in bike commuting. In Oakland alone, bike commuting has tripled in the last twelve years, according to the U.S. Census."

While Campbell was more than happy to talk about the history of Bike Month in the East Bay, he didn't use the words "biggest" or "baddest" in his interview. To hear more about  one of the best Bike Month programs I've ever heard of and its impact on bicycling in Oakland, Berkeley and beyond, check out this week's podcast below.

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 Colin Parent, the Policy Council for Circulate San Diego. Last week, Circulate released the first of a series of reports that look at how the city's policies support, or hinder, the city's efforts to meets its environmental goals. Read the report, here.

Last week's report looked at San Diego's parking policies and how they're hurting planning efforts around transit oriented development. For example, San Diego has a goal of making all trips near transit car-free by 2035. On the other, zoning requirements require two parking spaces for every housing unit built, even if its near a major transit hub.

Either the city is planning for a lot of empty car parking spaces, or it isn't serious about making its goals.

Parent gives a lot more detail than my one-liners. Give it a listen and let us know what you think in the comments section.

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 Wes Reutimann, the executive director of Bike SGV. With Bike Month nearly half over, it seemed as good a time as any to get an update on the state of bicycle advocacy in the San Gabriel Valley.

Of course we discuss the 626, but there's a lot of other exciting news on Open Streets. Of course we talk about all of the new infrastructure planned but we go into depth on 100 miles of planned greenways. And there's still time left to talk about the newly-passed bike plan in Duarte, which includes protected bikeways to and from the newly-opened Gold Line Station.

We're always looking for more show ideas. If you have an idea or feedback on an existing podcast, 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!

Today, #DamienTalks with Genoveva Islas, the Program Director for Cultiva La Salud and the newest member of the California Bike Coalition (CalBike) Board of Directors. 

Because her work with Cultiva La Salud deals with access to food in the San Joaquin Valley, Islas both brings a public health perspective to the CalBike Board and serves as a champion on issues of cultural and geographic equity.

Apparently, there is a large part of California beyond the Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles area that could use some attention when it comes to creating safe and attractive spaces to move about and just be in the community. Islas wants CalBike to continue its great work in the state's urban population centers while doing a better job advocating for and representing the interests of the people who live somewhere else.

This interview is part of our bike month series focusing on bike issues throughout the state; but we ended up talking about a lot of things outside of two-wheeled advocacy. Check it out.

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. 

Welcome back to #DamienTalks!

Today, #DamienTalks with Roland Cordero with Foothill Transit.

It may have taken eight episodes, but we finally got around to

Foothill Transit has replaced its diesel-fuel buses with CNG

In the interview, Cordero discusses the pro's and cons of

#DamienTalks is supported by Foothill Transit. Foothill Transit