Can I let you in on a secret? Roger Rudick is really good at his job.
Now this is a fundraising appeal, so of course I’m going to say that. But the truth is pretty evident to anyone that regularly reads Streetsblog. With a shoestring budget and no staff, Roger manages to provide coverage throughout the region, put a Bay Area perspective on statewide and national stories, and help inform his teammates around the country.
Despite the tremendous task he faces, Streetsblog San Francisco is the only Streetsblog with a full-time editor that doesn’t have a major donor contributing more than $10,000 going into 2024. Unless something changes, Streetsblog SF will rely entirely on small donors and advertising to continue going and even expanding its coverage. But we're not too worried. In 2023, Streetsblog SF received more individual donations than any other year in the past decade. It's your enthusiasm for our work that makes this job so impactful (and fun!)
So while Roger continues to work covering the Bay Area, it’s up to all of us to support his work. Yes, I’m the executive director of the non-profit that publishes Streetsblog in California; but I’m also a donor! If you haven’t joined me in making a donation this year, please consider doing so before the end of the year.
Need convincing? Let’s look at the original works produced by Streetsblog SF last week alone. Of course, everyday has “Today’s Headlines,” a curated list of the best stories from other publications from the previous 24 hours. There’s also a weekly roundup of events that would be of interest to Streetsblog readers. But here’s a short list of the stories Roger wrote last week.
On Tuesday, Roger wrote, Oakland Mayor Makes New Promise About Safety. Mayor Thao Tweets "It's time to reach a critical juncture where tragedies don’t catalyze improvements." But Rudick asks, “when and how will we know if the city has really reached that point and is serious about safety for all road users?”
Tuesday was a busy day, as he also pedaled over to a press event on Valencia Street where merchants held a protest against the center-running bike lane. While Rudick covered the grievances the merchants had against the infrastructure, he was also careful to point out that merchants along the portions of Valencia where there are traditional sidewalk adjacent protected lanes are not holding protests. Unfortunately, his attempts to get the merchants, or their representatives, to declare that they would prefer traditional protected lanes were dodged by those at the microphone.
On Wednesday, Roger appeared on the podcast Active Towns, to give a “Deep Dive into Bay Area Advocacy.”
Unbeknownst to Streetsblog readers, Rudick was a guest of the Embassy of the Netherlands Wednesday evening at a reception hosted by that country’s prime minister. Rudick was invited because of his work highlighting the successes of Dutch transportation planning and attempts to bring it to the Bay Area.
On Thursday, Roger published an exclusive interview with Seamless Bay Area, on the non-profit’s fifth anniversary. Two of the founders of the Bay Area's advocacy group dedicated to fare integration and rational schedules talk about a half-decade of fighting for better transit and what's likely to happen in the next five years
To continue with this high level of coverage and advocacy, we’re going to need your help. If you’d like to make a tax deductible donation to keep us strong in 2024; click here and get started.
If there are any questions or comments, please drop me a line at damien@streetsblog.org. I’d be happy to hear from you.
