politics

SoCal’s Air Quality & Transportation: “We Need to Bring Down the Silo Walls”

Air pollution is recognized as a negative externality resulting from California's transportation infrastructure. But with limited fiscal capacity, how can the state enact the structural changes necessary for protecting the air while improving mobility? Panelists at the Air Quality and Transportation Regional Conference in Los Angeles discuss how to bring leaders to the table to solve this issue.

“What’s the Rush?”: Should Football Stadiums Have Expedited Environmental Reviews By Courts?

Warren Olney, California State Senator Alex Padilla, and David Pettit deliberate the future of CEQA reform through AB 900 and SB 292. The conversation took place before Governor Brown signed both bills into law. Still, it illustrates that uncertainties that surround such action. Have large development projects, effectively, freed themselves of environmental scrutiny?

Richard Katz: High-Speed Rail’s Moment of Truth; Legislators Should Step Back

Richard Katz, Board Chairman of Metrolink and former California High-Speed Rail panel member, speaks candidly on the challenges rail faces in Southern California. While High-Speed Rail deals with financial and legal uncertainties, Metrolink thrives under new management.

Larry Kaplan: Redistricting Reflects The State’s Demographic and Economic New Realities

The LA County redistricting debate, according to management consultant Larry Kaplan, says more about the shifting socio/demographic complexion of the United States than it does about politics. Gentrification in cities will shift political power to the outer suburbs where growth has been more drastic in recent decades. These changes eventually are reflected in who sits in our halls of power.

The Future of Utility-Scale Renewable Energy in California

From the CleanTech OC 2011 Annual Conference and Expo comes this conversation between Marcie Edwards, Michael Peevey, Tim Olson, Stephen Mullenix, and Guy Blanchard on renewable utilities in California. The panelists focus on whether the regulatory bodies create certainty or ambiguity in the California renewables market.

Congress: Partisanship Hogties Federal Transportation Funding

US Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon has staunchly supported public investment in transportation systems, water infrastructure, and livable cities. With the House in apparent gridlock, however, passing what have traditionally been banal, bipartisan bills is now a game of high-stakes political chicken. The congressman discusses where infrastructure bills are now and what we can expect next from Washington.

Republican Assemblymembers Join Capitol's Smart Growth Caucus