February 7th, 2001
The Honorable Gray Davis, Governor of California
The Honorable John Burton, Senate President Pro Tempore
The Honorable Jim Brulte, Senate Republican Leader
The Honorable Robert Hertzberg, Speaker of the Assembly
The Honorable Bill Campbell, Assembly Republican Leader
The Honorable Kevin Murray, Senate Transportation Committee Chair
The Honorable John Dutra, Assembly Transportation Committee Chair
Members of the California State Legislature
While we commend both the legislature and the Governor for addressing transportation issues through the passage of the Traffic Congestion Relief Plan (AB2928) in the past year, we also understand that there may once again be pressure to commit additional funding from the state budget surplus or the sales tax on gasoline for transportation projects in the upcoming 2001 session. We do indeed feel there are still significant funding gaps that need to be filled in the area of transportation, but we also strongly believe that there must be a new shift towards solving transportation problems by establishing linkages to housing, jobs and smart growth through a broad range of priorities for any new transportation funding that would place roughly equal emphasis on:
(1) A housing linkage to infrastructure investments — we need to fix our crumbling and aging roads, bridges and transit systems and manage them better. Yet we must also acknowledge the need to link these critical investments with more compact and efficient land use practices that promote more affordable housing close to jobs, stores, and services. Any new transportation funding the Legislature takes up this year — like making the five-year sales tax on gas shift permanent — should dedicate one-third of the funding towards a repair fund for local streets and roads that is used as an incentive program for communities to build new housing near public transit facilities or within walking distance of employment centers, shops and services. Local jurisdictions still receive much needed street and road repair funding, but must commit to bringing new housing on-line in return for the money. Just such a program has been implemented in San Mateo County after research showed it was the most cost-effective method of reducing traffic congestion and improving the jobs-housing balance.
(2) Additional operating funds for increased transit services — while AB2928 committed important capital funding for new transit projects, there is still predicted to be a future shortfall in the Public Transportation Account that could force cutbacks even to existing transit services, and impede efficient operation of new transit lines. If the sales tax on gas shift is made permanent, public transit operations should get one-third of the revenues, up from the 20% provided under AB2928.
(3) Promoting walking, bicycling and smarter growth measures — There is a tremendous unfunded need to help promote pedestrian safety, build safer walking and bicycling routes to school, and create regional networks of bicycle lanes and pathways. Reauthorization of the Safe Routes to School bill (SB10) this coming year is a critical piece of this effort, but there is also a need for at least $250 million for bicycle, pedestrian and livable community projects statewide. To help fund other smart growth and environmental protection measures there is also a need for additional funding for a variety of regional planning, transit-oriented development incentives, and air and water pollution reduction measures and programs. Included in that is at least $10 million to plan for regional alternative growth scenarios as contained in AB2140, signed into law in September 2000. If the sales tax on gas shift is made permanent or if any other new transportation funding approved this year, one-third of those revenues should be dedicated towards aggressive efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and promote smarter growth measures.
Thank you again for your leadership on transportation in the course of the last twelve months. We look forward to working with all of you in the coming year to ensure that any new transportation funding in California is distributed in a balanced, fair and equitable manner in order to address the diverse needs of our state and its people.
Sincerely,
Alliance for AC Transit/
Bus Riders Union
John Katz,
President
Oakland, CA
American Farmland Trust
Greg Kirkpatrick
California Land Protection Representative
Visalia, CA
Association for Commuter Transportation Ð
Northern California Inland Chapter
Sue Schooley,
President
Sacramento, CA
BART Bicycle Accessibility Task Force
David Favello,
Board Member
Contra Costa County, CA
Bay Area Transportation
and Land Use Coalition
Stuart Cohen,
Chair
Oakland, CA
BayPeds
Zachary Wald
Executive Director
Berkeley, CA
Berkeley Gray Panthers
Art Weber,
Director
Berkeley, CA
Bike Alameda
Lucy Gigli,
Director
Alameda, CA
Butte Environmental Council
Barbara Vlamis,
Executive Director
Chico, CA
California Association for Coordinated Transportation (CalACT)
Gilbert Garza,
Chair
Sacramento, CA
California Bicycle Coalition
Chris Morfas,
Executive Director
Sacramento, CA
California Center for Childhood
Injury Prevention
Tina Zenzola, MPH
Associate Director
San Diego, CA
California Council of Churches
Theresa Taylor-Carroll,
Director of Public Policy
Sacramento, CA
California Gray Panthers
Joan Lee,
Legislative Liason
Sacramento, CA
Eco-Home Network
Julia Russell,
Founding Director
Los Angeles, CA
Endangered Habitats League
Dan Silver,
Coordinator
Los Angeles, CA
Environmental Council of Sacramento
David Mogavero,
President
Sacramento, CA
Fresno Area Residents for Rail Consolidation
John F. Ferdinandi Jr.,
Chairman
Fresno, CA
Friends of Placer County Communities
V. Dale Smith, HHD,
Executive Director
Auburn, CA
LandWatch Monterey County
Gary A. Patton,
Executive Director
Salinas, CA
Latino Issues Forum
Luis Arteaga,
Associate Director
San Francisco, CA
Local Government Commission
Judy Corbett,
Executive Director
Sacramento, CA
Los Angeles Community Design Center
Michael Albanese,
Project Manager
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Eco-Village
Lois Arkin,
Executive Director
Cooperative Resources & Services Project
Los Angeles, CA
Lutheran Office of Public Policy California
Mark E. Carlson,
Director
Sacramento, CA
Marin Conservation League
Tom Hinman,
Executive Director
San Rafael, CA
League of Women Voters of California
Gail D. Dryden,
President
Sacramento, CA
Marin Housing Council
Betty Pagett, co-chair
Marin County, CA
Mercy San Juan Medical Center
Marcie Ellis,
Injury Prevention Specialist
Carmichael, CA
Modern Transit Society
Akos Szoboszlay,
President
San Jose, CA
No Way L.A.!
Ann Kohl,
Co-Chair
Sacramento, CA
Non-Profit Housing Association
of Northern California
Dianne Spaulding,
Executive Director
San Francisco, CA
Pacific Area Communications
Jo Ann Fawcett
President
Ione, CA
City of Palo Alto
Sandy Eakins,
Mayor
Palo Alto, CA
Partnership for Regional Livability
Elizabeth Patterson, AICP,
Executive Director
Benicia, CA
Peninsula Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition
Danielle Weber,
President
San Mateo County, CA
Peninsula Rail 2000
Margaret Okuzumi,
Executive Director
Palo Alto, CA
The People on the Bus
Karen Ackerman,
President
San Francisco, CA
Pinerworks
Matthew H. Piner,
Owner
Architectural and Product Design/Development
Planning and Conservation League
Gerald Meral,
Executive Director
Sacramento, CA
Preservation Institute
Charles Siegel,
Director
Berkeley, CA
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Kate Bickert
California State Director
Regional Bicycle Advocacy Coalition
of the San Francisco Bay Area (REBAC)
Alexander Zuckermann,
Chair
Oakland, CA
San Diego Coalition for Transportation Choices
Carolyn Chase,
Director
San Diego, CA
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
David Snyder,
Executive Director
San Francisco, CA
Santa Barbara Area Council
of PTAs Safety Committee
Eva Inbar, chairperson,
Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
Robert Bernstein,
President
Santa Barbara, CA
Sierra Club California
Bill Magavern,
Senior Legislative Representative
Sacramento, CA
Sierra Club Conservation Committee
Loma Prieta Chapter
Irvin Dawid,
Transportation Co-Chair
San Francisco, CA
Sierra Heritage Magazine
Janice L. Forbes,
Publisher
SNELL Safety Education Center
Hong Zhang,
President
Sacramento, CA
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition
Joel Woodhull,
Board Chair
Sonoma County, CA
Southern California Council
on Environment and Development (SCCED)
Kathleen Gildred,
Executive Director,
Los Angeles, CA
Stanislaus County Transportation
& Land Use Coalition
Denny Jackman,
Chair
Modesto, CA
Surface Transportation Policy Project
James Corless
California Director
San Francisco, CA
Tahoe-Baikal Institute.
Karen Smallwood,
Director
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Train Riders Association of California
Richard Silver,
Executive Director
Sacramento, CA
Transportation for a Livable City
Maggie Robbins,
Board Chair
San Francisco, CA
Transportation Vision 2020 (TV2020)
Patricia Feiner Arkin,
Boardmember
Ventura County, California
Urban Ecology
Rachel Peterson,
Executive Director
Oakland, CA
Urban Habitat Program
Martha Olson,
Communications Director
San Francisco, CA
Walk Sacramento
Ron Anderson,
President
Sacramemto, CA
Walk San Jose
Jill Escher,
Executive Director
San Jose, CA
