Streetsblog Is Closing In On Its Summer Fundraising Goal

Earlier this summer, Streetsblogs Los Angeles, San Francisco and California launched our annual summer fundraising drive. Since then, we've raised over $7,500 in new donors (not including existing monthly donors) which is both 3/4 of our $10,000 goal and more than we've ever raised in our summer fundraising drive. If you want to help us clear that last hurdle, consider making a donation today!

If you're still reading this post, you doubtlessly know the importance of independent, top-tier journalists covering beats as complicated as transportation reform, equity in public planning, access to open space and public health. All three Streetsblogs in California rely on a mix of advertising, grants and reader donations; so without your support, we wouldn't be able to keep operating as we currently do.

If you're a casual reader of Streetsblog still on the fence about making a donation, we wanted to highlight the most popular stories from July on each of the three websites.

Streetsblog Los Angeles:
Pomona Families Holding Out Against Caltrans/Metro Home Demolitions for 71 Widening

Caltrans, flush with funding from Metro, has started construction a major highway widening project on the SR-71 through Pomona. Currently, the 71 is a four lane expressway, but Caltrans is working to double capacity to eight lanes. In addition to the proven devastation highway widening projects have on the environment and health, this one comes with an even worse price tag: the destruction of homes in Pomona's Westmont neighborhood. Caltrans/Metro have already relocated more than a dozen households there - with devastating impacts - and are in the process of displacing the last two remaining families residing in homes targeted for demolition.

Streetsblog San Francisco:
A Very Ferry Future for Oakland

Oakland City Councilmember and vice-Mayor Rebecca Kaplan wants direct ferry service running between Oakland and locations in the North Bay, according to an open letter from her to the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, which runs Oakland’s ferry services. A direct ferry service between Larkspur and Oakland would have transportation implications well beyond Oakland. Amtrak, with connections to the Central Valley, San Jose, and points south, is a nine minute walk from the ferry terminal in Oakland.

Streetsblog California:
U.S. Senators Tell Cal Lawmakers to Stop Effing with the Bullet Train

Streetsblog California has been bringing team coverage to the ongoing controversy surrounding funding for California High Speed Rail. As the state legislature dithers on releasing over $4 billion in funds for the project promised by voters in 2008, federal legislators have been working on securing more federal dollars for the project. Senators Alex Padilla and Diane Feinstein wrote to our state legislative leaders warning them that their obstructionism was endangering the state's largest green transportation project.

If you feel so inclined, please consider a donation today. You can get started by clicking on the link below, or you can email damien@streetsblog.org with any questions.