Damien Newton
Recent Posts
Streetsblog California Officially Launches
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California is seeing a transformation in transportation, and now Streetsblog is expanding to cover stories throughout the state, not just those in Greater L.A., the Bay Area and the corridors of power in Sacramento. Led by the excellent writing of Melanie Curry, Streetsblog California will continue to cover statewide policy and expand to cover major […]
Coming Soon: Streetsblog California
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Following the launch of Streetsblog in Texas, Ohio, Saint Louis, and the Southeast, we have more good news to bring. Starting in early April, Streetsblog will launch its newest news site, Streetsblog California. SBCA will feature Melanie Curry’s coverage of policy issues in Sacramento and around the state and some of the work being done […]
California Has Officially Ditched Car-Centric ‘Level of Service’
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Ding, dong… LOS is dead. At least as far as the state of California is concerned. Level of Service (LOS) has been the standard by which the state measures the transportation impacts of major developments and changes to streets. It is basically a measurement of how many cars can be pushed through an intersection in a […]
Is LADOT’s New SF-Imported Chief the Antidote to LA’s Defeatist Attitude?
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Should Mayor Eric Garcetti have hired someone with more Los Angeles experience to run Los Angeles’ Department of Transportation? With San Francisco’s Seleta Reynolds chosen as the incoming department head, there’s been a small buzz that only someone with direct experience with our region can handle making L.A. a better place to live. It has […]
Speaking With SFMTA’s Seleta Reynolds, Nominated to Head LADOT
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Earlier today, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti nominated Seleta Reynolds to be the new general manager for LADOT. Streetsblog announced the nomination earlier today via this brief article, which includes the mayor’s press release. Reynolds currently works for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), where she leads three teams in the Livable Streets subdivision […]
CA Assembly Bill Would Create Alert System For Hit-and-Run Crashes
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It is too common a story. A family is crossing the street or some friends are bicycling along when a negligent car driver changes their lives forever. While the victims lie wounded in the street, the driver flees and is never heard from again. Advocates for safe streets, victims of hit-and-run crashes, and their friends […]
Steinberg’s Cap-and-Trade Spending Plan Gains Momentum, No News on Deal
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Despite being only 0.5 percent of the California budget, cap-and-trade revenue spending is emerging as a sticking point in Sacramento as Democrats in the Assembly, Senate, and Governor’s Office push three different spending plans. The legislature must approve a state budget by June 15. Each of the three proposed plans for spending cap-and-trade revenue to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) […]
A Rising Tide for Walking and Biking in California Cities
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This week, the League for American Bicyclists released its nationwide “benchmarking” report on the state of active transportation throughout the country. The report contained good news for those working to make California a more safe and attractive place to bicycle. California rose ten spots to #9 in the state to state comparisons, scoring nearly 54 […]
Meet Our New Sacramento Teammate: Melanie Curry
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Streetsblog SF and Los Angeles have a new hire starting on February 1 that will dramatically expand our coverage. I am pleased to announce that Melanie Curry will be as full-time writer covering news out of the California capitol and across the state. Melanie will be covering statewide issues that impact transportation, open space, livability […]
State Bill Would Require License Suspension for All Hit and Run Drivers
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CA Assemblyman Mike Gatto introduced legislation Tuesday mandating that any driver who commits a hit and run offense, even if the victim is not seriously injured, forfeit their driver’s license for six months. Gatto’s legislation is his second effort to criminalize hit and run crashes following last year’s Assembly Bill 184 which extended the statute […]
Is California Ready to Raise Its Vehicle License Fee?
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Every state has its “third rail” that politicians are afraid to touch. When I began my advocacy career in New Jersey in 2004, politicians were deathly afraid of raising any tax after Democratic Governor Jim Florio was ousted in the solidly blue state because of tax increases he pushed through. Florio had been defeated over […]
Legislative Wrap: How Livable Streets Bills Fared in Sacramento
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Last week was a busy one in Sacramento as lawmakers scrambled to compromise and pass important pieces of legislation while others will have to “wait ’til next year.” Streetsblog offers the following scorecard for some of the most important pieces of legislation that will impact the drive to create livable streets. We’re putting the bill’s […]