The Week in Short Videos

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We started the week off by looking at what’s happening at transit agencies that have been forced to cut services due to state and federal funding cuts. At the same time, the Governor’s office of budget is retreating from a deal made with legislators to help agencies in the Bay Area.

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And that’s not a prediction…it’s a spoiler But apparently nobody in the Newsom administration is paying attention. Last week, the BART system in the Bay Area went down for six hours and it caused chaos for commuters, those that rely on transit and those that drive. This makes it especially disheartening that news also broke that the Newsom Administration is slow-walking needed funds that would stave off massive cuts to Bay Area Transit that the Governor and legislature agreed on in June. According to Senators Jesse Arreguin and Scott Wiener, if the deal isn’t finalized by the end of this week, agencies will need to start making drastic cuts that would cripple their ability to move people throughout the Bay Area and increase car dependency, air pollution and accelerate Climate Change. The Governor’s budget office says that agencies can wait until next year before making cuts and they want more time to iron out the details. Given the stakes, it’s imperative that the Governor close his social media apps for a little bit and step in. If Arreguin and Wiener are right, he needs to get this deal done. If they’re wrong, he needs to explain why, and do so without using ALL CAPS. #streetsblogcalifornia #bart #muni #sfmta #newsom

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Over the weekend, it looked as through the reauthorization of the state’s Cap-and-Trade program would need to wait another year. But a late night agreement between the governor and legislative leaders brought the proposal back from the dead.

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Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization Lives @gavinnewsom #streetsblogcalifornia cap-and-trade #california #pollution #highspeedrail #cahsr

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Environmental groups have been frustrated by this year’s legislative session. But that frustration turned to outrage when news broke about a deal that would allow for 2,000 new oil rigs to break ground annually in Kern County.

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Environmental groups call this session of the legislature the worst in recent memory….and that was before a democrat proposal to allow for thousands of new oil wells in Kern County. Bakersfield, the largest city in Kern, has the worst air quality in the country.#streetsblogcalifornia #bakersfield #oil #oilrigs #kern #environment #airquality #americanlungassociation

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Senate Bill 79, the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-SF), by a 41-17 vote.