We are passing on information on a very important state bill hearing today on divestment in state retirement agencies; and, for those who live or related to Arcata, a new transportation policy being decided Wednesday which you need to weigh in on.

Dan for Steering Committee

This Tuesday, April 19th:

Call on Senate Judiciary Committee to pass SB 1173!

We need your help passing SB 1173 (the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill), which would require CalPERS and CalSTRS—the two largest public pensions in the country—to divest billions from fossil fuel companies.

Earlier this month, dozens of you called into the Senate Labor Committee hearing on SB 1173. After hours of deliberation (plus 25+ minutes of comments), the bill was passed out of committee 3-1!

However, the fight isn’t over yet—SB 1173 still has to get through the Senate Judiciary Committee this Tuesday, April 19th. We need lots of supporters to call in with super-quick statements like this one:

“My name is ___. I’m a [CalPERS/CalSTRS] member, a [union] member, and I strongly support SB 1173.”
“My name is ___, I’m with ___ organization, and we strongly support SB 1173.”
Our bill will come up in the afternoon or evening. Please RSVP at the link below & we’ll send you a notification when it’s time to call in!
RSVP TO MAKE A COMMENT

How to call in:

  • You can find the number and access code on this website: https://sjud.senate.ca.gov/
    Upon calling in, you will be placed in a “waiting room” where you’ll be muted but can listen to the committee hearing. The waiting room has a limited capacity, so your call may not go through—if you are not connected, call back in 10 minutes. As people give their comments, they will hang up and free up space for you to make yours!
    You can watch a live videostream here: https://www.senate.ca.gov/. If you’re watching the live video, remember to mute the device you’re using to watch the video when you make your comment. There will be a ~40 second lag time between your phone and the video—in order for you to respond in “real time,” you must listen through your phone and NOT the live video.
    When the committee moves to public comments, a moderator will ask for anyone wishing to testify in support of the bill to press 1-0. Press 1-0 once when you are prompted by the moderator. The moderator will similarly prompt those waiting in opposition later—be sure to listen for “support” or “opposition” and DO NOT press 1-0 until the proper position has been asked for. (Note: if you press 1-0 a second time, you’re automatically removed from the queue and you will not be called to testify.)
    When you press 1-0 on your phone, an operator will assign you a line number and you’ll be placed in the queue for identification. Remember your line number: the moderator will call out your number when it’s your turn to testify.
    Once you’re successfully in the queue with your assigned line number, the moderator will identify you individually and open your line, at which time you can address the committee. You must have your own phone unmuted or we will not be able to hear you. If you’re a CalPERS or CalSTRS member, please say so in your comment!

The quickest, cheapest and easiest way to get better infrastructure for walking, biking and transit is to include it in street improvement projects that are already happening. That’s why we’re so excited that tomorrow (Wednesday, 4/20), the Arcata City Council could adopt our region’s first official Complete Streets Policy!

This would mean that every time the city or a developer does a project affecting the street – including regular repaving and maintenance work – they would include bike, pedestrian, and transit improvements. To get an exception for a particular project, the city would have to demonstrate why the improvements aren’t feasible and provide an opportunity for public comment. You can read the full policy in the Council’s agenda packet here.

This is a big deal, and the City Council needs to hear from people in support of the proposed policy. If you can, please attend tomorrow’s meeting at 6 pm either in person at City Hall or by Zoom. If you can’t make it tomorrow night, please click here to email the Council today.

As you can see, we strongly support the proposed policy. But the devil’s in the details, and we do have a few ideas to make it even stronger. So here are some ideas of what to say to the Council:

  • I support a strong Complete Streets Policy in Arcata. This is a big step toward making our streets safer and healthier and our city more sustainable.
  • The policy should clearly state that the city will not just “strive to” build complete streets, but will actually do so unless a project is granted an exception.
  • The city should prioritize improvements in disadvantaged communities like Valley West.
  • Complete streets progress reports should be required more frequently than every 3 years.

Thanks for taking action for a healthier, safer and more sustainable community!

-Colin & the CRTP Team

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