Check out this week's featured stories.
San Diego City Council Pushes Back on Boardwalk Scooter Ban
Last week, the San Diego City Council voted to reject an emergency scooter ban on the boardwalks in Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla Shores. Since the introduction of dockless bike and scooter share earlier this year, San Diegans have begun to use active transportation more than ever before. Circulate San Diego supports the use of dockless bike and scooter share as a form of transportation and spoke at City Council in opposition to the proposed ban.
Following the hearing, our Policy Director Maya Rosas was quoted in several articles about the importance of transportation choices:
- City Council Votes Down Boardwalk Scooter Ban, Fox 5
- San Diego City Council Votes Against Motorized Scooter Ban at Beaches, NBC 7
- Motorized Scooter Regulations Being Pushed by Councilmember Lorie Zapf, KUSI News
2018 Bike Month: Bringing Bike Accessibility and Education to a Diverse Community in San Diego
Did you know that May is designated as Bike Month? This past month we took part in several events and led others to make cycling in San Diego more accessible to diverse communities.
Thanks to a grant from the Office of Transit Safety, Circulate SD participated along with the Southeastern Kiwanis Club and San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to plan and execute the community bike event “Empire Bikes Back” at Morse High School. Over 40 students participated in a bike rodeo to learn how to ride safely in a controlled-environment, and how to wear their new bike helmets properly. More than 18 bikes were given away during an opportunity drawing, including 10 bikes generously donated by our Corporate Member, ofo Bikes.
To read the full blog, click here.
SANDAG’s Second Chance at Housing
On May 11th, the SANDAG Board voted to request a lower RHNA determination, the number of homes the region is required to plan for every 8 years, from the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Instead of accepting the region’s RHNA determination of 171,000 new housing units, the Board voted to request lowering the determination to 116,000 units. This vote passed with 11 votes, or 61% of the tally vote.
Since that vote, Assemblymember Todd Gloria has written to HCD asking that they not accept the Board’s request and the La Mesa City Council voted to also ask HCD to reject this request. Last Friday, the SANDAG Board voted to revisit the RHNA determination vote at the next Board meeting on June 8th.
Circulate spoke in favor of accepting the higher RHNA determination at the last two SANDAG Board meetings and will be there for the vote on June 8th. Here are some of the articles covering this issue:
- KPBS quoted Policy Director Maya Rosas, who said, “a vote to reduce the number of homes the region is required to accommodate does not reduce the need for homes for San Diego families.”
- The Union-Tribune Editorial Board wrote an editorial stating that HCD should stick to its original determination. The Voice of San Diego covered the original vote and the vote to bring back the RHNA determination in its Politics Report.
Intern Spotlights
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Circulate is fortunate to have Charles Kreuzberger and Alexis Ledlow, two USD law students as legal interns for the summer. Their work will support our policy initiatives. We're happy to welcome them to the team. Click on the links below to read their introductory spotlights.
Regional Bike Summit – June 21-23
The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is organizing the first annual Regional Bike Summit, a multi-day convening of advocates, city officials, and bicyclists! The Bike Summit includes a half-day Women’s Summit (6/21), a full day of breakout sessions and panels (6/22), and a selection of mobile tours (6/23).
Join the Bike Coalition and us at the Bike Summit by purchasing tickets here.
San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard Release Party
Join Leaders 2020 & the Equinox Project on Wednesday, June 6 at Park and Rec University Heights. The evening will include a live band, photo booth, food and drinks, networking with San Diego’s sustainability leaders, remarks from local business and civic leaders, and a brief overview of the Equinox Project Quality of Life Dashboard. Come for a fun, inspiring and educational evening!
Wednesday, June 6th
5:30pm - 8:00pm
Park & Rec
4612 Park Blvd,
San Diego, CA 92116
Speakers
- Maya Rosas, Director of Policy, Circulate San Diego
- Stefanie Benvenuto, Director of Public Affairs, San Diego Regional Chamber
- Jason Foster, Administrative Services Director, San Diego County Water Authority
- Peter James MacCracken, Equinox Project Advisory Board Chair
