It’s Bike Month! Welcome to Bike

Today, #DamienTalks with Tony Molina

As excited as we are by Bike Month

But as we said, there are lots of

Today,

May 4, Mall to Mall

May 18,

May 20, Bike to

Streetsblog California will check

Parking placard abuse.

Arguing for reforms in the placard system is one of the few

This abuse of the placard system creates a ripple effect of

Today #DamienTalks with Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-SFV) about

Also moving in the Assembly is Gatto's "Parking Bill of Rights"

We’re always looking for sponsors, show ideas, and feedback. You

As excitement builds towards the 626, the mamoth car-free festival spanning six cities on, you guessed it, June 26; #DamienTalks with Michael Cacciotti. Cacciotti is the Mayor Pro-Temp of South Pasadena and has been a critical figure in the effort to create the 626 and organize the half-dozen cities that are taking part as well as officials with the County, Metro, and the Air Quality Management District.

Want to know more about the 626? Click here.

I'll be honest, this is one of the more fun interviews I did. Cacciotti wasn't just one of the driving forces behind the 626, he was also a Board Member for the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority. I conducted our phone interview while he was doing his evening commute home, and as a bonus he talked about how the Gold Line extension is working and how packed his rail car was. It was 9 p.m. at night. On a Wednesday.

New Gold Line extensions. The 626. Things are changing in the San Gabriel Valley, and they're changing for the better.

#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 to this week's episode of #DamienTalksSGV, where we talk with Glendale Mayor and Metro Boardmember Ara Najarian and Bike SGV Executive Director Wes Reutimann about the proposed sales tax measure that Metro unveiled last week.

The measure extends the current county-wide half cent sales tax passed eight years ago and adds another half cent to the tax. If passed, there will be a full cent on the county sales tax dedicated towards transportation.

But it is not the tax itself that is interesting, but how it will be spent. Read more about the proposal at Streetsblog Los Angeles or visit Metro's webpage dedicated to the proposal to learn more. Also, we interviewed Najarian about what he would like to see in the proposal in January. You can here his answers, here.

In this broadcast, we see two different points of view that could dominate the discussion over the next few months as Metro and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors debate whether or not to put this proposal on the fall ballot. Najarian is effusive in his praise for the work Metro staff did. He is happy that his favorite project, the second phase of the Gold Line Foothill Extension, is included in the project list and that his least favorite project, the extension of the I-710, is not.

On the other hand, Reutimann is worried that such a long-term sales tax includes such a small slice for bicycle and pedestrian safety projects. While recognizing how the projects, especially more trains and buses running through the valley, could change regional transportation; Reutimann stopped short of endorsing the measure as it is.

#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.”

Last week, activists from around California and the rest of the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for the national bike summit. During the summit, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) was honored for the "best winning campaign" of the past year for its work on getting the City of Los Angeles to pass and approve a progressive mobility plan.

Today, #DamienTalks with the LACBC's Executive Director, Tamika Butler, and Planning and Policy Director, Eric Bruins, about the campaign. The two discuss not just why it's important to have a plan that emphasizes creating safe places for people to walk, bicycle, take transit or just be outside; but also the importance of lasting coalition building.

To paraphrase a point that Bruins makes, it's not just about building a coalition for the plan; but creating meaningful dialogue with community partners about a shared vision of a more mobile, equitable, clean and just pleasant city. 

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 to Habib Balian, the CEO of the Gold Line Foothills Construction Authority and Amy Wong with Women on Wheels.

This weekend, the long-awaited extension of the Gold Line to the San Gabriel Valley Foothills will finally open. Balian discusses the advocacy and work that led to the extension and the excitement that the line will be open soon. It is likely that any sales tax on the fall ballot will include another extension of the Gold Line, so Balian and his team are preparing in the eventuality that funding becomes available in 2017 for an extension all the way to Montclair.

Our second segment features an interview with Amy Wong of Women on Wheels (WoW.) WoW works to create safe spaces and events for female bicycle riders to meet, have fun, and improve their bicycle skills. Wow has a couple of events coming up, a social on Sunday, March 13, and the LA to SGV: Sister Cities Ride & Mechanics Class with the Ovarian Psycos on Saturday, March 19.

#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.”

Two for the price of one!

Today #DamienTalks with a pair of Southern California bicycle advocates, BikeSD's Samantha Ollinger and the Bicycle Cultural Institute's Nona Vornado.

First, #DamienTalks with Ollinger about the exciting plans for Downtown San Diego. The City Council will vote next week on a plan to add 9.3 miles of protected bikeways and 5.5 miles of pedestrian greenways to the two square miles that make up Downtown San Diego. Once implemented, San Diego would leap past pretty much everyone for safe streets planning in the urban core.

However, it's not a done deal. If you live, work, or play in San Diego, you can click here to get your voice heard. If you want to read more, here's last week's story on San Diego's plans in Streetsblog USA, based on research in Next City.

Next #DamienTalks with Nona Vornado about the upcoming Los Angeles Bicycle Festival. Tickets are on sale now:$10 for individuals and $15 for families. There are lots of goodies for people who buy their ticket *in March*. For more information click here for the Festival's webpage, here for the Facebook page or, ya know, just LISTEN TO THE PODCAST.

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 Jeannie Ward-Waller, the Streetsie-Award-Winning activist with CalBike about a proposal to provide rebates for people purchasing bicycles for their commute. The Air Resources Board already provides rebates to those purchasing hybrid, low-emission and zero emission vehicles. So why not provide the same benefit to those purchasing bicycles, the ultimate zero emission vehicle?

CalBike presented it's proposal to ARB earlier this year, and Ward-Waller reports that discussions with staff have been positive. However, ultimately the decision will be made by the Governor-appointed Board and there's many chances to get involved.

First, if the ARB is coming to your town for a public hearing, go to the meeting and let them know how you feel. Also, you can write to them via this action alert at the Fix California Roads website.

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 to episode 4 of #DamienTalks, an episode that focuses primarily on two projects in El Monte. We didn't plan it that way, but sometimes these things happen.

First, #DamienTalks with David Diaz Avelar about Historia de los Monteros, a collaborative effort between a handful of groups to explore the lost history of El Monte's mural culture. Day One, East of East, and the El Monte Arts Posse have programmed six events featuring discussions, bike rides, and lectures around this topic. The next event is March 5. Get more event detail at the Historia's webpage or the event poster.

If David's name (or voice) sound familiar, that's because he is the same person we interviewed in the last #DamienTalks for one of his other projects, advocacy for the Las Tunas complete streets project in Temple City for Bike SGV.

Speaking of whom, our second guest is Jose Jimenez, who runs Bike SGV's bicycle education center in El Monte. Jose discusses the brief history of the center, upcoming programs and invites everyone to come visit to learn how to ride, fix or improve their bicycle. The Education Center's schedule can be found at the Bike SGV 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.”