Damien Newton
Recent Posts
#DamienTalks 43 – Jeanie Ward-Waller, CalBike and the Election
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Where do we go from here? That question has been on the minds of a lot of people since the election results came rolling in last Tuesday night. Now that a little time has passed, #DamienTalks checks in with CalBike, the largest transportation reform organization in the state and second largest bicycle and pedestrian advocacy […]
#DamienTalks 41 – Chanell Fletcher and the Next Steps for Fighting Climate Change
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Welcome back to #DamienTalks. Today, #DamienTalks with Chanell Fletcher, the associate director of Climate Plan. With the the California legislature passing and the governor signing new legislation this year furthering the state’s efforts to clean the air and slow global warming, we discuss what’s next for the movement to impact man-made climate change. We try to […]
Eyes on the Street: Santa Monica Gets Creative with Their Crosswalks
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Last night, the City of Santa Monica painted the first of its “creative crosswalks” designed to improve both safety and fun for people walking across the street. Last night’s painting was at the intersection of Ocean and Broadway. A second installation is planned for Arizona and Second Street tonight. “Creative crosswalks can create a sense […]
DamienTalks 40 – Michael Manville on Automatic Road Widenings
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It’s been awhile since we recorded a #DamienTalks specifically for the California website, but now we’re back with a good one. In this week’s edition, Damien Talks with Michael Manville, a professor and researcher at UCLA. Manville has hit a bit of Livable Streets fame with an article he wrote for the Journal of Transportation […]
CAHSR Paints Rosy Picture, but Rail Line Is Still Political Hot Potato
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After years of being beat up on conservative talk radio and in numerous other press outlets, the California High Speed Rail Authority finally hit a positive streak running several months this year. The organization broke ground on a major part of the program in Fresno, cleared a legal hurdle, passed a new business plan that […]
#DamienTalks 42: Sam Tepperman-Gelfant and the Governor’s Housing Proposal
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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. […]
#DamienTalks 40 – Brown’s Housing Legislation with Jason Islas
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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 […]
#StreetsR4Families: Livable Streets Presentations for Very Young Students
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Last week, I used the dual media events of Bike Week and the opening of the Expo Line extension to speak at my kids’ schools about Livable Streets issues. Joe and I thought it could make an interesting follow-up to our 2014 guide to planning a Walk/Bike to School Day for a school that does […]
#DamienTalks 36 – Celebrating Bike Month with Tony Molina of the Fresno Bike Coalition
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It’s Bike Month! Welcome to Bike Month! Today, #DamienTalks with Tony Molina with the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition to kick off our Bike Month coverage. Fresno has a full complement of Bike Month events, some of which we talk about in our conversation and others we list below. To find out more, visit the two […]
#DamienTalks 35 – Mike Gatto and Parking Placard Reform
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Parking placard abuse. Arguing for reforms in the placard system is one of the few times parking reformers don’t sound overly wonky to the larger car driving public. In California, one out of every eight drivers has a disabled parking placard, a number which doesn’t correlate to data concerning how many drivers SHOULD have such […]
#DamienTalks 32: Livable Downtown San Diego and the L.A. Bicycle Festival
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Two for the price of one! Today #DamienTalks with a pair of Southern California bicycle advocates, BikeSD’s Samantha Ollinger and the Bicycle Culture Institute’s Nona Varnado. 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 […]
#DamienTalks 31 – CalBike’s Jeanie Ward-Waller and a Proposal to Create Bike Rebates
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Today, #DamienTalks with Jeanie Ward-Waller, the Streetsie Award-Winning activist with CalBike about a proposal to provide rebates for people purchasing bicycles for their commutes. 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? […]