Today, we’re introducing a new Friday afternoon series at Streetsblog California looking back at our week in short videos. In case you missed it, this week we launched (or re-launched in the case of YouTube) short video channels at TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
We released four videos and we’re closing in on 1,500 views across all four platforms. These numbers are hardly setting the world on fire, but they’re a good start and should grow in the coming months and years.
On Monday, we released two videos. The first was a goodbye to our friend and frequent podcast guest Benito Flores, one of the Caltrans Reclaimers who moved in and occupied unused housing that Caltrans purchased for a free expansion project that never happened. If you’re interested, you can read more of our coverage of Benito, here.
@streetsblogcal For all of our interviews with Benito, visit Streetsblog California at cal.streetsblog.org
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Second, we looked back at a story Streetsblog published the previous week on an action by Bike Bakersfield, and Calbike to push back on a May grand jury report that recommended the city slow down on bike safety expansion. Thus far, the city has not complied.
@streetsblogcal A video recap of last week, bike ride in Bakersfield to protest a grand jury report that Bike lanes aren’t worth the investment even though as the report admits, they make street safer.
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On Tuesday, Streetsblog published a story and released a video about a judge green-lighting the expansion of the Yolo Causeway between Davis and Sacramento. The project has been ridiculed by environmentalists, who note the many ways Caltrans skirted environmental law. In the end, it wasn’t enough to move a judge.
@streetsblogcal Judge Blasts, Approves, I-80 Causeway Widening Between Davis and Sacramento. For full story: https://cal.streetsblog.org/2024/05/31/environmental-groups-file-suit-against-i-80-highway-expansion
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Last, Streetsblog released a video on the United States House of Representatives Oversight Committee finally finding something to investigate: California High Speed Rail. The story includes video of Secretary Sean Dufffy announcing that USDOT would study the project in March and that the project is a colossal failure at the same time.
@streetsblogcal Congress announced that they will begin their own study of CAHSR finances (and the results of the study they haven't done.)#Streetsblog#californiahighspeedrailway#CAHSR
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With CAHSR releasing a new report that calls for the authorization to begin work outside the Central Valley, it’s likely we’ll have more High Speed Rail coverage next week. What else should we be doing short videos on? Let me know at damien@streetsblog.org.
