California

Yesterday, Senator Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) introduced a bill in the California legislature that would require all bicycle riders, including adults, to wear a helmet, and to wear reflective clothing at night.

Data lovers can now nerd out on a new website that collects Bay Area transportation data and puts it into customizable maps and charts to play with.

[Update: the date of the workshop in Oakland was changed on 2/4/15; change is reflected below.]

Although Governor Jerry Brown's proposed FY 2015 budget showed a decrease in the line item for the Active Transportation Program (ATP), Caltrans Budget Chief Steven Keck assured the California Transportation Commission at its meeting last week that the change was technical and the funding level would be the same as last year's.

Yesterday the Strategic Growth Council adopted guidelines for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program and scheduled workshops for early February to provide technical assistance to potential applicants.

Governor Jerry Brown's recently proposed 2015-16 budget summary [PDF] released on January 9 included a passing reference to $360 million previously allocated for the Active Transportation Program (ATP), but the budget summary offered no details about future funding, nor what allocations for the coming year might be.

The Environmental Defense Fund released a report this morning that says the second year of California's cap-and-trade program is a success on several fronts.

Governor Jerry Brown released his preliminary budget proposal [PDF] today in Sacramento, missing the opportunity to articulate the connection between spending on roads and meeting the climate change goals he proposed Monday in his inaugural speech.

California signaled its commitment to high-speed rail with a groundbreaking Tuesdayday in Fresno. The ceremony, featuring a speech by Governor Jerry Brown, marks the official beginning of construction on the long-awaited train.