”Public  Transportation  Funding:  Who  Pays,  Who  Benefits  and  What’s  the  Impact  on  Low-­‐Income  

and  Communities  of  Color?”  November  20,  2013  

UH  News  Executive  Director  Position  Available  

Shared  office  for  rent  @  Urban  Habitat  

Land  Use/Affordable  Housing  Coordinator  Position  Available  

Our  Approach  •  Policy  Advocacy  •  Mobilizing  and  Educating  Community  Coalitions  around  Policy  

•  Training  Advocates  to  become  Decision-­‐Makers  

The  BCLI  Model  

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Connect  

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Deep  and  integrated  equity  knowledge     Political  skills  Power  structures  and  influences  Commission  procedures  and  best  

practices  

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Share  your  perspective  with  our  speakers  Inform  your  communities  and  your  work  

 

     

   

Executive  Director,  POWER    People  Organized  to  Win  Employment  Rights  

Alicia  Garza  

     

   

Co-­‐Director,  CCHO    Council  of  Community  Housing  Organizations  

Peter  Cohen  

     

   

     

Regional  Transportation  Funding  Plan  Bay  Area  2012  –  2040  

Total  =  $292  Billion        Federal  ,  $33    

Regional,  $42    

State  ,  $49    

Local,  $153    

Federal    

Regional  

State    

Local  

•  Revenue  to  Implement  Plan  Bay  Area  

•  Alameda  County:  Proposed  Increase  in  County  Sales  Tax  

•  San  Francisco:  Package  of  Investments  for  2014  with  AddiFonal  Proposal  for  2016  

   

2014  Ballot  

Measure  B3  (“B3”)  was  a  proposal  to  extend  and  expand  the  current  ½  cent  sales  tax  that  is  dedicated  to  transportaFon  in  Alameda  County  to  be  a  permanent  full-­‐cent  sales  tax  dedicated  to  transportaFon.    Voters  were  asked  (2/3  required)  in  2012  to  approve  a  30  year  expenditure  plan  that  will  determine  how  $7.7  billion  would  be  spent  on  a  range  of  projects  and  programs.        

   

Alameda  County  Measure  B3  

 

•  Funding  for  transit  operaFons  sufficient  to  restore  AC  Transit  service  to  2009  levels;  

•  Funding  for  a  county-­‐wide  free  bus  pass  program  for  middle  and  high  school  students  for  the  length  of  the  measure;    

•  CondiFoning  funding  to  ciFes  for  transit-­‐oriented  development  on  affordable  housing  provision  and  anF-­‐displacement  measures;  and  

•  ProtecFng  the  maintenance  of  the  exisFng  system  against  giant  transit  capital  expansion  projects,  like  the  BART  to  Livermore  project,  that  have  a  track  record  of  siphoning  limited  transit  funds  away  from  maintenance  and  operaFons.  

   

   

Alameda  County  Measure  B3  UH  Goals  in  2013  

 •  Mayor’s  TransportaFon  Task  Force:  $3  billion  in  proposed  revenue  for  Capital  Improvements  

•  2014:  Vehicle  License  Fee  (VLF)  esFmated  to  generate  $70m  annually  (Eligible  for  OperaFons  &  Capital)  

•  Two  $500  million  General  ObligaFon  Bonds  (ELIGIBLE  for  Capital  Use  Only)  

•  2016:  Proposed  ½  Cent  Sales  Tax  (Eligible  for  OperaFons  &  Capital)  

     

2014  Ballot  San  Francisco  

•  Nature  &  Impact  of  Revenue  Measure  •  Proposed  Expenditures  •  Path  to  the  2014  Ballot  •  MUNI  service  shorZalls  •  MUNI  service  shorZalls  •  Equity  analysis  &  Oversight  •  MUNI  affordability  &  Free  Muni  for  Youth          

   

SF  Transportation  Justice  Response  to  Task  Force  

Peter  Cohen  San  Francisco  Council  of  Community  Housing  Organizations  

Demystifying  TOD/Smart  Growth    

•  Transit  Oriented  Development  •  Smart  Growth  •  Urban  Infill  •  Compact  Development  •  New  Urbanism  •  Green  Development  •  Sustainable  Communities  •  Livable  Communities    

Call  it  whatever  you  want…  

Or  mix  several  terms  together  to  get:            “Compact,  walkable,  transit-­‐oriented,  mixed-­‐use          communities  that  preserve  and  enhance  natural          resources…”    

TOD/Smart  Growth  is  driven  by  an  environmental  vision  of  protecting  land  and  resources  “At  Risk”  from  sprawl  development  pressures.  

an  Urban  Green  Utopia  Smart  Growth  Principles    1.   Mix  Land  Uses    2.   Take  Advantage  of  Compact  Building  Design    3.   Create  a  Range  of  Housing  Opportunities  and  Choices    4.   Create  Walkable  Neighborhoods    5.   Foster  Distinctive,  Attractive  Communities  with  a  Strong  Sense  of  Place    6.   Preserve  Open  Space,  Farmland,  Natural  Beauty  and  Critical  Environmental  Areas    7.   Strengthen  and  Direct  Development  Towards  Existing  Communities    8.   Provide  a  Variety  of  Transportation  Choices    9.   Make  Development  Decisions  Predictable,  Fair  and  Cost  Effective    10.  Encourage  Community  and  Stakeholder  Collaboration  in  Development  Decisions    (from  smartgrowth.org)    

For starters… A “green” urban utopia is not necessarily an

EQUITABLE urban utopia. Especially in low-income communities, and especially in “hot market” regions like SF Bay Area.

The “Boom” of 1990s, and again the Boom today

are cautionary tales.

How  could  there  be  any  downside?  

Smart  Growth:  San  Francisco

New  Urbanism:  Oakland

The  point  here  is  not  to  dismiss  Transit-­‐Oriented-­‐Development  or  Smart  Growth…  

 But  to  insist  that  the  hard  questions  about  unintended  consequences  not  be  ignored.    

 If  Smart  Growth  is  to  be  a  “better”  way  of  transportation  investment  and  land  use  development,  it  should  also  be  a  more  equitable  way  of  investment  and  development.    

SB  375    PLAN  BAY  AREA

The  Plan  Bay  Area  big  vision  for  Smart  Growth  

→  70%  of  all  future  development  and  population  growth    in  existing  urbanized  areas  =  so  called  “Priority  Development  Areas”  

And  the  TOD  transit  investment  strategy  is  expected  to  drive  (no  pun  intended!)  that  PDA  land  use  development  pattern.    

The  Plan  also  identifies  “Communities  of  Concern”  throughout  the  urbanized  Bay  Area  

As  it  happens…  Many  of  the  “Priority  Development  Areas”  are  also  where  the  “Communities  of  Concern”  exist    

Which  puts  people  in  those  communities                “At  Risk”  for  gentrification  and  displacement  from  infill  development  pressures.  

Plan  Bay  Area,  and  smart  growth  vision  in  general,  has  “flipped”  the  growth  and  development  challenge  –  taking  the  pressure  off  the  environment  while  creating  new  At  Risk  places  (and  people)  in  cities.  Both  big  and  small.  

Plan  Bay  Area,  and  smart  growth  vision  in  general,  has  “flipped”  the  growth  and  development  challenge  –  taking  the  pressure  off  the  environment  while  creating  new  At  Risk  places  (and  people)  in  cities.  Both  big  and  small.  

“The Plan meets target”

•  A local case study

Will  low-­‐income  communities  benefit  from  “smart”  development,  or  simply  

be  in  harm’s  way?  

So  what  do  we  do?  

Another way to Smart Growth

6 Wins for Equity Affordable  Housing:  More  affordable  housing  near  jobs,  reliable  public  transit,  good  schools,  parks  and  

recreation  within  healthy  neighborhoods    Investment  Without  Displacement:  Investments  and  incentives  that  strengthen  and  stabilize  

communities  vulnerable  to  gentrification  and  displacement    Robust  and  Affordable  Local  Transit  Service:  Local  bus  service  that  is  frequent,  reliable,  and  affordable,  

connecting  people  to  opportunity,  and  Free  Youth  Bus  Passes  in  communities  where  students  depend  on  public  transit  to  get  to  school  

 Healthy  and  Safe  Communities:  Healthy  and  safe  communities  have  clean  air,  are  connected  by  robust  

public  transit,  and  provide  safe  walking  and  bicycling  access  between  housing,  economic  opportunities,  and  essential  destinations  

 Economic  Opportunity:  More  quality  green  jobs,  transit-­‐related  jobs,  and  access  to  economic  

opportunity  for  marginalized  populations  within  communities  of  concern  and  throughout  the  region    Community  Power:  Greater  power  for  working  class  people  of  color  in  local  and  regional  decision-­‐

making    

Advocating  the  ‘Equity,  Environment,  Jobs’  alternative  for  Plan  Bay  Area  

Though  not  everyone  agrees…  

If  it’s  not  EQUITABLE,  it’s  not  TOD/Smart  Growth.  

”Public  Transportation  Funding:  Who  Pays,  Who  Benefits  and  What’s  the  Impact  on  Low-­‐Income  

and  Communities  of  Color?”  November  20,  2013