Circulator - 09/25/2026 - Circulate Planning & Policy

Published September 25, 2026

Big news: This year’s Walk the Walk honorees are revealed!
Celebrate National Pedestrian Safety Month & Clean Air Day with us!
PRONTO Low-Income Fare Eligible (LIFE) Program
Circulate CEO on NBC 7 to Promote Safe Street Projects.
Circulate Pushes SANDAG to Advance the Airport Transit Connection Project
Circulate Supports Prop 45
Circulate’s Policy Committee Member Tanner “The Planner” Blackman Profiled in CalMatters
Circulate News

Big news: This year’s Walk the Walk honorees are revealed!

I’m excited to share that this year’s Momentum Awards will honor HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez, MTS CEO Sharon Cooney, and Councilmember Stephen Whitburn. All will receive Circulate’s Walk the Walk Award for their leadership in making California and the San Diego region safer, more sustainable, and more connected.

In addition to these honorees, the Momentum Awards will also celebrate the region’s leadership through our juried awards. View the full list of nominees online — and join us to find out who takes home this year’s top honors!

Event Details
Friday, October 23^rd
NovaSD, Gaslamp Downtown San Diego

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Celebrate National Pedestrian Safety Month & Clean Air Day with us!

Join us on September 29th at the Civic Center Plaza (1200 Third Ave, San Diego, CA 92101) to celebrate and kick off Clean Air Day and National Pedestrian Safety Month!

Circulate will be at the plaza from 11 AM to 1 PM showcasing a temporary parklet, our remote-controlled Traffic Calming Course, and distributing free safety items such as reflective slap bracelets and bike lights. We will also be providing FREE ice cream to the first 90 people that visit us!

California suffers from some of the worst air quality in the country. Collectively we have the power to change the world and can choose to do so in ways that help, not harm, all Californians. Join us in challenging yourself to create clean air in your community. Take the pledge HERE.

RSVP Here!

PRONTO Low-Income Fare Eligible (LIFE) Program

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) recently announced the launch of the PRONTO Low-Income Fare Eligible (LIFE) Program, a new reduced-fare designed to help keep public transportation affordable for eligible riders across San Diego County.

The program will provide discounted transit fares to individuals enrolled in CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or CalWORKs who are not already participating in another reduced-fare transit program with MTS or North County Transit – San Diego Railroad (NCTD).

The transit agencies estimate there are approximately 34,000 eligible transit pass holders who may qualify for PRONTO LIFE. Applications are now open, and approved participants will begin receiving discounted fares when regional fare adjustments take effect on Oct. 1.

Find out more about the LIFE Program here.

Circulate CEO on NBC 7 to Promote Safe Street Projects.

Earlier this week, Circulate CEO and General Counsel Colin Parent appeared on NBC 7 to promote safe street projects being undertaken by SANDAG.

“They're important infrastructure projects that're going to make streets safer for everyone, including bicyclists but also for motorists and pedestrians as well,” Parent said.

Parent acknowledged that San Diego remains heavily oriented around driving, but said changing that requires investing in alternatives.

“It's true. This is a car-oriented community but the way that we change that is to change it.”

Watch Now!

Circulate Pushes SANDAG to Advance the Airport Transit Connection Project

Last week, Circulate sent a letter to members of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Transportation Committee urging action on the Airport Transit Connection (ATC) project.

Circulate has advocated for a rail connection to San Diego International Airport since 2018. We were glad to see our advocacy for a rail connection to downtown San Diego reflected in the final five concepts.

Residents have been asking for improved transit to the airport for years. An airport rail connection repeatedly polls as voter’s top priority transit capital project, with 70 percent support. With a fiscal cliff around the corner, a sales tax ballot measure may be the only way to avoid dramatic MTS service cuts. If our transportation agencies are going to ask voters to pay for transit, they must be ready to deliver the projects that voters want. Voters want to be able to take transit to the airport. SANDAG should continue to prioritize moving this project forward so it can be prepared to deliver it.

Read the full letter

Circulate Supports Prop 45

Circulate is a proud member of the coalition supporting Prop 45, a November 2026 statewide ballot measure that will modernize California’s project approval process to help build more housing and other essential projects faster and more affordably.

Today, unnecessary delays drive up housing costs and worsen California’s affordability crisis. Permitting and approval delays add as much as $75,000 to the cost of a new home. These costs are ultimately passed on to renters and homebuyers. Prop 45 maintains our foundational environmental protection laws, but creates a faster, more predictable, and more accountable approval process by establishing clear timelines, improving accountability, and reducing unnecessary delays.

Learn More about Prop 45

Circulate’s Policy Committee Member Tanner “The Planner” Blackman Profiled in CalMatters

CalMatters recently profiled Tanner Blackman, a land use consultant based in San Diego.

Tanner is a familiar face with the Circulate Planning & Policy crowd, and is a longstanding member of our Policy Committee. As a member of that Committee, Tanner serves as a volunteer advisory to Circulate staff about our policy positions and advocacy efforts.

As the CalMatters piece explains:

“Tanner ‘The Planner’ Blackman does not swing hammers or lay foundations. He does not raise funds or finesse land deals. He does not draft blueprints, write contracts, test soil conditions or calculate the varied seismic loads that a new building can sustain.

Blackman’s job is a mostly under the radar, but often indispensable, fixture of California’s urban housing market: He helps people get their building projects approved.”

Read the piece!