Comment Log Display

March 8, 2013
Ms. Mary Nichols
Chair, California Air Resources Board
1001 I Street
Sacramento CA 95814

RE:  Investment plan for cap-and-trade auction revenues

Dear Chair Nichols:

As a City Council member in Emeryville, transportation policy
analyst and mother of two, I would like to express my strong
support for the Sustainable Communities for All Proposal. I believe
the vision of SB 375 can be achieved equitably and efficiently by
providing transportation and housing choices that allow
Californians to drive less and reduce household costs, especially
for low-income households.

I can see how critical public transportation is to the people of
Emeryville. We are unusual in that our businesses and the city
provide a free shuttle service to BART called Emery-Go-Round with
1.3 million riders per year. But it is not enough. People need
better public infrastructure to make public transit the easy and
convenient choice. We can do better.

I believe it is critical to build both homes and transit that are
affordable and accessible to lower-income households, while
supporting active transportation to improve health. Just this week,
the Census Bureau named the San Francisco area the nation’s
“megacommuter” capitol – people who travel at least 50 miles and 90
minutes to work – with San Jose close behind. When people are
priced out of homes near job centers and high-quality transit hubs,
they must drive long distances to work. 

According to a recent report by the California Housing Partnership
Corporation, preserving and building affordable homes near transit
will allow California to achieve the maximum VMT and GHG-reduction
benefits of investment in transit infrastructure and
transit-oriented development. 

Sprawl and congestion are also bad for health - each additional
hour spent in a car per day is associated with a 6 percent increase
in the likelihood of obesity.  Investing in safe bicycle and
pedestrian infrastructure and programs like Safe Routes to School
improves health in both urban and rural areas, and especially in
minority communities where pedestrians are significantly more
likely to be killed by vehicles. 

Investments like these will have the greatest impact on the
communities most affected by climate change while also increasing
access to opportunities.

Thank you for considering my comments, 
Sincerely,
Jennifer West
Emeryville City Council member