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TALC membership renewal and the next annual summit, April 1
by susan_e_vaughan＠juno.com 07 Mar '05

07 Mar '05

Susan king gave me forms for the renewal of the SFGP in the Transportation and Land Use Coalition. With our renewal we will get five free passes to the next annual summit on April1 in Oakland. I need authorization from the SFGP-CC to renew the membership, and I also need to know how much I should write the check out for. Our membership dues depends on our annual budget: $0-10,000 = $25 $10,000 -75,000 = 50 And so on. Also, I intend to go to the annual summit on April 1. We've got four more free passes as long as we renew the membership. There are two sessions, morning and afternoon. If we coordinate this, we can have some people go in the morning, others in the afternoon, and we can split up and go to any of the following workshops: Morning (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): 1) Launching a regional transit villages campaign 2) Raising new, reliable transportation funding 3) Regional bike/pedestrian issues 4) Stopping unjust fare hikes and service cuts 5) Bay Area Transportation 101 Afternoon (1:30-2:30 p.m.) 6) Breaking the Sprawl Code 7) Bus Rapid Transit: a Primer 8) Creating Pedestrian Friendly Streets 9) Getting Parkign Right 10) How to Connect with Labor 11) What's Race, Class, and Gender Got to Do with Transportation Policy? Sue Vaughan

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End of Suburbia this month
by christine mcclintock 06 Mar '05

06 Mar '05

Hi, all. I am clearly not going to be able to pull this together for this month - I am just too swamped right now. Things should ease off in a couple of weeks, but I just can't do this for the end of March. Sorry about that, but wanted to keep you all in the loop. Take care, Christine

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Re: end of suburbia?
by JM Chandonia 03 Mar '05

03 Mar '05

On Wed, Mar 02, 2005 at 08:59:37PM -0800, Don Eichelberger wrote: > 3/23 has been discussed, but i am not sure if that has been > confirmed. maybe JM can enlighten? I was hoping to get confirmation from Christine earlier this week, but haven't heard anything yet. JMC -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc(a)sfgreens.org) http://www.dolorespark.org/

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[shaalub@yahoo.com: Calif. PUC notes]
by John-Marc Chandonia 02 Mar '05

02 Mar '05

----- Forwarded message from Sherry Boschert <shaalub(a)yahoo.com> ----- Dear friends in Postcarbon, SF Green Party, and Prius Plus Project: Last week I attended the all-day Climate Change meeting of the Calif. Public Utilities Commission. I know someone from Prius+ was there, but in it's helpful, I thought I'd forward my notes from that meeting, below. Sherry Boschert San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association www.sfeva.org California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) En Banc on Climate Change Feb. 23, 2005 Notes for SFEVA by Sherry Boschert Up on the podium for this all-day affair were the following: Michael R. Peevey, president, CPUC CPUC Commissioners Geoffrey Brown, Dian Grueneich, and Susan Kennedy Calif. Energy Commission members James Boyd, John Geesman, and Art Rosenfeld Calif. Air Resources Board Executive Officer Catherine Witherspoon Calif. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Secretary for External Affairs Anne Baker Calif. State Resources Agency Deputy Secretary Joe Desmond Calif. State Controllers Office Deputy Controller for Investments & Corporate Governance Tony Symonds Background: Of California?s 2001 greenhouse gas emissions (including imported electricity), 42% is from transportation, 21 from electrical power production, 22% industrial, 8% commercial, residential and other sources, and 7% from agriculture and forestry. The gases are: 82% carbon dioxide; 7% nitrous oxide; 7% methane, and 4% industrial gases. Brief presentations throughout the day were followed by public comments, which were among the more interesting. There was little talk of solar power or electric vehicles until the end, but a few interesting things emerged. Here are brief summaries of all. For online slides, see http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/industry/electric/climate+change/ PRESENTATIONS: -Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Director of Innovative Solutions Judi Greenwald spoke about what the business community is doing about global climate change. She said California?s mandate is to get 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2017. -California Climate Action Registry. President Diane Wittenberg described this voluntary ?inventory? that gives companies info on their pollution. -Calpine, electric utility. CEO and President Pete Cartwright: ?We think gas is plentiful in the world and can be brought into this country at attractive prices.? -Cinergy, electric utility. V.P. of Environmental Services and Federal Affairs Bill Tyndall: He sees the U.S. energy future relying on coal (the most polluting option). -DuPont, chemical company. V.P. for Bio-based Materials John Ranieri. Talked about its $40 million Integrated Biorefinery program (half of that funded by U.S. government) to create ethanol fuel. One prototype plant up so far, so this is experimental (needed because there?s not enough corn to make enough by conventional means; the new technology uses not just the corn but stalks and the rest of the plant). -Silicon Valley Manufacturers Group (SVMG) Environmental Committee Co-chair Robert Parkhurst: Represents more than 190 companies, 250,000 jobs. Didn?t say much. Admitted that few of the companies participate in the California Climate Action Registry because of it initial cost of $100 to $100,000, depending on size of the company. A PUC commissioner ridiculed SVMG member Hewlett Packard, a company worth $800 million, for claiming that?s a barrier. -Natural Resources Defense Council. Energy Program Director Ralph Cavanagh. Noted that Calif.?s electric sector has grown 30% since 1990. He criticized reliance on conventional coal-powered electricity, but bought into Cinergy?s idea of ?clean coal? plants, also called integrated gasification combined cycle, or IGCC technology (an experimental, expensive, and controversial strategy, I might add). Said the CPUC has ordered a study of IGCC, and that this should include ?responsible disposal of the global warming pollution from the plant.? -Fitch Ratings, a financial rating agency. Senior Director Denise Furey. Believes there will be a federal carbon law but it?s years away. Says IGCCs are 15% more expensive than conventional coal plants and most utilities are not really considering this technology. -Ceres, the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies. Director of Electric Power Programs Dan Bakal. Says that companies have a fiduciary duty to tell shareholders about their ?environmental risk.? CERES said that shareholder resolutions in 2004 calling on oil and gas companies to provide greater disclosure of their greenhouse gas emissions earned the following "yes" votes: Apache - 37% Anadarko - 28% Marathon - 28% Petro Canada - 20% Valero - 9% ExxonMobil - 9% CERES also said that 2005 will see the most shareholder resolutions ever to call for disclosing greenhouse gas emissions. Resolutions will face votes in the following companies: Autos -- Ford, GM Electric power -- Dominion Resources, FirstEnergy, Progress Energy Oil & gas -- Anadarko, Apache, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Marathon Oil, Tesoro, Unocal, Vintage Petroleum, XTO Energy Manufacturers -- Allergan, Avery Dennison, Analog Devices, Corning, Dow Chemical, Newell Rubbermaid, Nucor Financial services -- J.P. Morgan Chase, Wachovia, Wells Fargo Real estate -- Centex, Health Care Property Investors, Lennar Corp., Liberty Property Trust, Ryland Group, Simon Property Group -Stephen H. Schneider, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at Stanford University. Reported findings of an interesting study on ?Emissions pathways, climate change, and impacts on California? ? see http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/101/34/12422 He also pointed out that the company officials at the meeting kept saying they want ?regulatory certainty,? i.e. an overall federal policy on greenhouse gas emissions instead of many state policies, yet they don?t tell you how many lobbyists they have in Washington blocking creation of any federal policy. -SBC West, a phone company. Linus Farias of the Environmental Management Group said SBC had a fleet of 10,043 ICE vehicles in 2004. -Verizon, a phone company. Has thousands of ICE vehicles in its fleet and about 100 CNG vehicles, mostly in L.A. -Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad representatives talked about using low-sulfur diesel fuel and the new ?Green Goat? and ?Green Kid? switcher locomotives that are hybrids ? running on lead acid batteries charged by on-board diesel generators. -San Diego Gas & Electric, publicly owned utility. Bill Reed: Will have 8% of their power from renewable sources by 2007. Believes they can reach 20% by 2010 by adding wind, geothermal, and central-station solar power. Will be adding solar PV to 15 of their buildings this year. Said it?s inappropriate that the CPUC has cut back its LEV requirements of utilities. Called for more ?advanced metering? so utility customers see time-of-use differences in cost. -Southern California Edison, investor-owned utility. Bob Foster: Says SCE buys 1/6 of the nation?s renewable energy. Urged the CPUC to continue to support nuclear power. Said he drives a company EV every day and that SCE has ?lots? of EVs. SCE is working with CalStart and the U.S. Army to develop a hybrid line truck for the utility by end of the year. Would like to see more central-station solar installations (even more than rooftop solar), which would lead to massive production of PV panels and drive down costs. Says SCE will meet the goal of 20% renewable power by 2010, mainly by adding more wind power. But SCE wants ?offramps? (a way to abandon renewable energy) if costs get too high. -Pacific Gas & Electric, investor-owned utility. Roger Peters, senior v.p. and general counsel. ?There is no coal in our long-term plan.? Doesn?t know if PG&E can commit to 20% renewable power by 2010, but is aiming for it. COMMENTS: CEC?s Commissioner Geesman said the governor wants to increase the goal for renewable power from 20% in 2010 to 33% by 2020. CPUC Chairman Peevey made a comment ridiculing EVs and could really use some education on the subject. Perhaps the EAA should invite him for a ride in an EV. He?s at: 415-703-3703. Or online comments can be made at: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/forms/feedback.htm I spoke and made the following points: - Rather than cutting back LEV requirements of utilities, the PUC should be requiring them to use ZEVs. - As in Britain, utilities should be required to have kiosk-style charging by credit card on each utility property around the state, for $1/hour or whatever, which would promote EV use. - More advanced metering and more central-station solar are good ideas. - The PUC should do more to promote rooftop solar. As in Germany, they could require utilities to pay above-market prices for excess solar electricity generated by rooftop systems. Right now, Calif. utilities pay nothing for this, so there?s no incentive for energy-efficient households to add solar PV. - Existing off-peak electricity plus EVs could power more than a third of Calif. driving and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. - PV + EV is a winning combination for energy suppliers, drivers, and the environment. - Since CARB and the auto companies eviscerated the ZEV mandate, a myth has developed that no one wants EVs. I explained how this is auto-company propaganda, cited the 25,000 EVs and NEVs still registered, and told them of the actions to save the Th!nks, Ranger EVs, and EV1s. - Urged them not to spend a penny more supporting the myth of hydrogen fuel cell cars. This is a stalling tactic by car companies to avoid having to make any real change. CARB?s Witherspoon said CARB is aiming for 18% market penetration by HEVs by 2006-2007. Said they didn?t abandon EVs but decided they weren?t right for the market. A Sierra Club representative cautioned against more investment in natural gas because LNG leakage adds to greenhouse gases. A guy from a company involved in NiMH batteries talked about the potential benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Gail Slocum, senior advisor to CalCars, talked up the Prius Plus Project and called on the CPUC to convene a working group to coordinate efforts toward PHEVs. A guy from a solar PV company talked about the benefits of thin-film solar rooftops. (And he owns/drives a RAV4 EV.) The Vote Solar Initiative?s J.P. Ross hopes to see 3,000 MW of new solar power in the next 10 years through the Million Solar Rooftops initiative. Flaks for the coal industry and Fortune 500 companies spoke without really saying anything. One of the Commissioners asked how much using an EV might increase his electrical bill. One of the public speakers emailed the response below? This e-mail is an attempt to answer Commissioner Brown's question on what effect the cost of charging a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) would have on his utility bill during the recent CPUC Climate Change en Banc. I have also included some comparative information on CO2 emissions. I hope this helps. (See attached chart) The main assumptions used to produce the values in the chart below are: 1. The average cost of gasoline over the next year will be approximately $2.50/gallon. 2. The Time of Use (TOU) rate for nighttime charging is approximately $0.05/kWh. 3. Burning a gallon of gasoline produces approximately 23 lbs of CO2 * This dollar amount comes close to answering Commissioner Brown?s question about the cost of charging a PHEV by plugging in at home at night. Please compare the $60 cost with filling up at a gas station to go the same distance. * This column includes upstream CO2 emissions for exploration, extraction, transport, refining and distribution of gasoline, as well as CO2 emissions from power plants in California. Experts suggest that in order to stabilize Climate Change the US population must reduce its total CO2 emissions to below 2? tons/person/year. Even this low number of 2? tons assumes that most developing countries will keep their CO2 emissions below 1? tons/person/year. As California?s renewable portfolio standard is implemented, in state, CO2 emissions from the production of electricity can be reduced and if PHEVs or EVs are charged from solar, wind or micro hydro, emissions can approach zero. Steve Heckeroth ECD/Ovonics Phone: 707-937-3385 FAX: 707-937-0338 steve(a)renewables.com __________________________________ Celebrate Yahoo!'s 10th Birthday! Yahoo! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/ ----- End forwarded message ----- -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc(a)sfgreens.org) http://www.dolorespark.org/

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Fwd: Fw: "The End of Suburbia" film screening & discussion hosted by David Vasquez
by susan vaughan 28 Feb '05

28 Feb '05

This could be a problem, fellow members of the TWG, unless we want to start teaming up with David Vazquez (I know him). Also, note to JMC, if I can get ahold of the minutes from the February general meeting, I will type them up. Sue --- howard strassner <ruthow(a)juno.com> wrote: > To: > Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 16:19:50 -0800 > Subject: Fw: "The End of Suburbia" film screening & > discussion hosted by David Vasquez > From: howard strassner <ruthow(a)juno.com> > > > --------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: DVasquez(a)aol.com > Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 12:45:57 EST > Subject: "The End of Suburbia" film screening & > discussion hosted by > David Vasquez > Message-ID: <1dd.382906b1.2f520fd5(a)aol.com> > > The End of Suburbia: > Oil Depletion > and the Collapse of the American Dream > A video Screening and follow-up discussion that will > include panelists > and > roundtable audience commentary. > > If you haven�t heard about this sobering, powerful, > and controversial > film, > you need to check it out now as you think about and > plan for your future. > It's > not the idea that we're running out of oil, but that > we're running out of > > CHEAP oil, and the consequences of what this --what > some are calling > "peak oil > syndrome"-- on both an oil-based economy and > globalism in general are > staggering. Yet, it may also prove to be a crisis > leading to positive > opportunity. > Please join us for what promises to be a stimulating > evening of > discussion and > learning. > > This event is the first in a series of seminars > focusing on livable > cities > and ecologically sustainable "green" urban design. > > DATE: Weds. March 2, 2005 > TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 > PLACE: 425 Market St, Rm 208 (second floor) > 50 yds. from Embarcadero BART/MuniMetro station > (note: this is the home of Multimedia Studies > Program; San Francisco > > State Downtown Extension) > ADMISSION: free > CONTACT PERSON: David Vasquez (415) 876-2234 > > > PANELISTS: > Richard Register > Visionary urban designer; organizer; conference > convener; renowned author > of > multiple books related to ecologically sustainable > cities including: > "Ecocities - Building Cities in Balance with > nature". > > Christopher Swan > Railroad & public transportation expert; founder of > Suntrain Development > Corp; developer of new system concepts for passenger > transport; author of > multiple > books and articles on transportation, solar energy, > and ecological > restoration. > > David Vasquez, Ed.D (host) > Co-founder of Public Vision Research, LLC; leading > proponent on role and > importance of cinema and computer-simulated imagery > for advancing the > cause of > ecologically oriented urban design. He is currently > designing a major > exhibit for > the UN sponsored World Environment Day (WED) event > to take place in San > Francisco in June of 2005. > > (David will be teaching a course called "Envisioning > Green Cities" for > the > Multimedia Studies Department starting March 19.) > ATTACHMENT part 2 application/applefile name=The End of Suburbia flyer2.doc > ATTACHMENT part 3 application/msword name=The End of Suburbia flyer2.doc __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Riders and drivers unite! No Muni fare hikes or service cuts!
by susan vaughan 27 Feb '05

27 Feb '05

Please attend a press conference on the steps of City Hall on Monday, February 28 at 1:30 p.m. to protest planned Muni fare hikes and service cuts. Join drivers with TWU Local 250-A and riders at this press conference and then attend the Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors hearing at 2 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers (room 250). Also, contact the Board of Directors and tell them you oppose Muni fare hikes and service cuts. Please urge them to adopt the recommendations of the Coalition for Transit Justice below and attached. Contact the Board of Directors through their clerk: Roberta Boomer <roberta_boomer(a)ci.sf.ca.us> Platform for Transit Justice The ability to access transportation is a basic human need. Public transportation remains the City�s only feasible method of providing this basic need to all of its people. As a matter of social, economic and environmental justice, the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) should seek to fund public transit using monies gained from those most able to pay. Individuals who opt out of the public transportation system should be asked first to sacrifice for the good of the general public. In addition, as a �transit first� city, San Francisco should encourage use of public transit instead of cars as a means of improving the environment. Based on these values, we oppose the use of any fare increases or service cuts to close the upcoming $15 to $18 million deficit for the 2004-2005 fiscal year. Rather, the MTA should adopt a combination of these revenue-rising measures: a) Increase garage rates; b) Increase parking fines and fees; c) Increase residential parking permit fees and expand geographic areas where permits are required; d) Increase parking meter rates in downtown areas of major commercial centers; e) Increase use of Class Pass and expand use of unlimited access passes that could potentially raise revenue; f) Expand enforcement of the current parking tax; g) Expand enforcement of parking violations, particularly in public transit lanes; h) Impose a vehicle registration surcharge; and, i) Add new meters in downtown areas and major commercial centers. The MTA can easily close this fiscal year�s budget gap by implementing a combination of the above revenue-raising measures based on information released by the MTA itself. Fees and service cuts are not necessary. The following organizations and individuals have endorsed the Platform for Transit Justice: Board of Education Commissioner Mark Sanchez Central City Progressives Central City SRO Collaborative Chinese Progressive Association Coalition on Homelessness Community Leadership Academy and Emergency Response (CLEAR) Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council (HANC) Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club La Raza Centro Legal Living Wage Coalition Misson SRO Collaborative Mission Agenda POWER Religious Witness With Homeless People Richmond District Democratic Club San Francisco Community Land Trust San Francisco Day Labor Program San Francisco Green Party San Francisco Peace and Freedom Party San Francisco Youth Commission Senior Action Network Sierra Club South of Market Community Action Network Supervisor Tom Ammiano Supervisor Chris Daly Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi San Francisco Tenants Associations' Coalition TWU Local 250-A Transportation for a Livable City Walk San Francisco Young Workers Project __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

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Camejo and 23rd
by Don Eichelberger 26 Feb '05

26 Feb '05

I got a call from Rachel, Peter's calendar person saying Peter is not available the 23rd, as he has to leave for LA early the next morning. I have not called her back, yet, because I was told the 23rd was not confirmed. If it is another date, I might still get him. Let me know. Best to call 567-4577 and leave a message if I am not there. Don "><"<>"><"<>"><"<>"><"<>"><"<>"><"<>" Organizing is Sorting in to smaller piles, Then dealing with them. Wonder why you can't? It is always best practice To ask how you can. Don Eichelberger Abalone Alliance Safe Energy Clearinghouse http://www.energy-net.org San Francisco Green Party http://www.sfgreenparty.org California State Green Party Issues Working Group Co-coordinator http://cagreens.org/giwg/ Green Community/GreenWorks project for sustainable small businesses http://www.sfgreenworks.org 2940 16th St., #309 San Francisco, CA 94103 phone 415-861-0592 or 415-567-4577 done(a)energy-net.org done(a)greens.org done(a)ispwest.com

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Re: [Transpo] news on next movie showing? Can Peter Camejo do the panel discussion this time?
by susan_e_vaughan＠juno.com 23 Feb '05

23 Feb '05

Do we have Peter Camejo confirmed? Can Peter do it this time? Sue On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 09:33:14 -0800 John-Marc Chandonia <jmc(a)sfgreens.org> writes: > Hi, > We'll need to send out ads to KPFA and the Guardian by > next week; do we have the theater confirmed yet? > > JMC > -- > John-Marc Chandonia (jmc(a)sfgreens.org) > http://www.dolorespark.org/ > _______________________________________________ > Transpo mailing list > Transpo(a)sfgreens.org > https://list.sfgreens.org/mailman/listinfo/transpo > >

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news on next movie showing?
by John-Marc Chandonia 23 Feb '05

23 Feb '05

Hi, We'll need to send out ads to KPFA and the Guardian by next week; do we have the theater confirmed yet? JMC -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc(a)sfgreens.org) http://www.dolorespark.org/

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FW: Caltrain Cuts
by Susan King 22 Feb '05

22 Feb '05

FYI, sk ---------- From: RicSilver(a)aol.com Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 23:37:12 EST To: RicSilver(a)aol.com Subject: Caltrain Cuts San Mateo County (CA) Times: http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_2578203 Article Last Updated: 02/19/2005 08:20:09 AM Caltrain faces worst deficit ever with an $11 million shortfall CALTRAIN'S new baby bullet trains are regularly packed and more riders are flocking to the system all the time, but the success belies a stark reality for the rail line: it's in the midst of its worst budget shortfall ever. Caltrain officials put a dollar figure on the defict Friday for the first time. The rail line will likely face a whopping $11 million shortfall next year and the budget reserves it has been using to cushion previous budget shortfalls are all but exhausted. Caltrain will have just $1.4 million in the bank at the end of this fiscal year. Riders will almost certainly be faced with increased fares, less service or both during the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1. The problem, one Caltrain official said, is that there is simply not enough service to cut and no fare increase big enough to close that yawning deficit. "To give this some perspective, we are not looking at a doomsday scenario," said Jayme Maltbie Kunz, a Caltrain spokeswoman. "The options that we are looking at may hurt a little." Caltrain official Mark Simon said the system is looking at all its options -- including layoffs -- but it is too soon to tell exactly where the cuts might come. Caltrain's problem is the San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara County transit agencies that fund roughly half of Caltrain's budget have frozen their contributions for the last four years because of their own budget problems. Caltrain will announce a more detailed budget cutting plan at its March meeting. Stay tuned ...

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