Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: laconservancy.org
Think about your favorite building in Greater Los Angeles. Chances are, it’s one of the fantastic historic places that help make the region unique. The Los Angeles Conservancy works every day – as we have since 1978 – to make sure these places survive and thrive for future generations.
A private, member-based nonprofit, the L.A. Conservancy was formed in 1978 as part of the effort to prevent demolition of the stunning Los Angeles Central Library. What started as a handful of concerned citizens is now the largest group of its kind in the U.S., with more than 6,000 member households, hundreds of volunteers, and a full-time staff of nearly twenty.
The Conservancy is based in downtown Los Angeles but works throughout L.A. County—which spans 88 cities plus the County’s unincorporated areas.We work through education and advocacy to raise awareness of historic places, prevent their needless demolition, empower people to save the places they love, and foster strong preservation laws and incentives.
Why Preserve Historic Places?
As people rely more on technology and virtual connections, and as cookie-cutter development makes cities look more and more alike, we have a growing need for authenticity, character, and distinction. We don’t want our communities to look like everyone else’s. Historic buildings, structures, landscapes, and neighborhoods help fill this critical need. They tell great stories, give us a sense of place, help us learn who we are and what we value as a culture, and embody our shared history.
The L.A. Conservancy has a vision of Los Angeles as a place that values our past and considers it an essential part of our present and future. The Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County.
We raise awareness of the value of historic places in strengthening communities, fostering economic development, and enriching lives.
For more than thirty-five years, our walking tours, special events, and other programs have brought countless Los Angeles residents and visitors closer to the beautiful buildings and unique spaces that make Los Angeles County so special. Our educational programs have introduced many people to the history and value of Greater Los Angeles' built environment.
We also work on a vast range of preservation issues throughout Los Angeles County, both proactively and in response to specific threats to historic cultural and architectural resources.
We provide technical assistance and resources to help people enjoy and preserve the historic places they love.
The largest local preservation group in the United States, our large and active membership reflects an unprecedented level of support for L.A.'s historic resources and we continue to gain ground in making preservation part of public policy, urban planning, and public consciousness.
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Monday, May 25, 2015
Make It Fair
Location: California
Website: www.makeitfairca.com
Make It Fair is dedicated to closing the commercial property tax loopholes so we can continue to invest in strengthening our schools and important local priorities. We seek to make California’s tax code fair to all by phasing out loopholes in Prop. 13 that have allowed a handful of giant corporations and America’s wealthiest commercial property owners to dramatically lower their obligations to California families.
Our goals are simple: make commercial property taxes fair by re-assessing commercial and industrial property at fair market value so that we raise the revenue we need to fully fund our schools and community colleges, strengthen public safety and affordable housing, fix our roads, build transit, keep parks and libraries open and maintain other vital services. Since the passage of Prop. 13 the tax burden has been shifting away from giant corporations and wealthy commercial property owners to middle class homeowners and renters. Our reform will reverse this trend and raise billions to help rebuild California. We will also:
- Fully, 100% protect homeowners, renters and agricultural land.
- Provide tax relief for small businesses,
- Include tough transparency and accountability measures so that everyone can see how any additional funds are spent.
We’re building a strong grassroots coalition to spread the word about the need for commercial property tax reform. Join the fight to Make It Fair.
Website: www.makeitfairca.com
Make It Fair is dedicated to closing the commercial property tax loopholes so we can continue to invest in strengthening our schools and important local priorities. We seek to make California’s tax code fair to all by phasing out loopholes in Prop. 13 that have allowed a handful of giant corporations and America’s wealthiest commercial property owners to dramatically lower their obligations to California families.
Our goals are simple: make commercial property taxes fair by re-assessing commercial and industrial property at fair market value so that we raise the revenue we need to fully fund our schools and community colleges, strengthen public safety and affordable housing, fix our roads, build transit, keep parks and libraries open and maintain other vital services. Since the passage of Prop. 13 the tax burden has been shifting away from giant corporations and wealthy commercial property owners to middle class homeowners and renters. Our reform will reverse this trend and raise billions to help rebuild California. We will also:
- Fully, 100% protect homeowners, renters and agricultural land.
- Provide tax relief for small businesses,
- Include tough transparency and accountability measures so that everyone can see how any additional funds are spent.
We’re building a strong grassroots coalition to spread the word about the need for commercial property tax reform. Join the fight to Make It Fair.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
California Forward
Location: California
Website: www.cafwd.org
Over the last generation, our systems of government have failed at dealing with our state’s challenges. We aren’t getting the results we need from public programs; lawmakers are mired in gridlock; and budgets are out of balance even during good times.
There is growing concern that this dysfunction is not only impacting public programs, but the economy and the confidence of entrepreneurs to do business here.
Perplexed by the increasing dysfunction of the state’s fiscal and political systems, five major California foundations –
The California Endowment
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
– came together to create California Forward, charging it with reshaping the future of the Golden State by fundamentally changing the way government operates.
California Forward was created by combining projects from California Common Cause, Center for Governmental Studies, New California Network, and The Commonwealth Club of California's Voices of Reform Project.
The organization has established itself as a trusted, influential, and bipartisan public interest effort, with an unwavering commitment to making government work better.
Our early steps toward reform include:
- the fiscal mess through budget reform.
- Changing political incentives with redistricting and the top two primary.
Restructuring state and local government to drive innovation and results.
California Forward's mission is to work with Californians to help create a "smart" government – one that’s small enough to listen, big enough to tackle real problems, smart enough to spend our money wisely in good times and bad, and honest enough to be held accountable for results.
We’re different from other efforts to reform our state, because we believe in the importance of working together and understand that only robust public discussion and the creation of broad coalitions can move solutions forward.
California’s state and local governments must work better together for everyone. If Californians can come together to restructure the relationships between state and local governments, the experience of other states indicates that in five to seven years, we will begin to see the benefits of better governance and renewed private investment.
Continuous improvement in the performance of education and social programs will allow the state to shift resources from prisons back to universities. Efficiencies and innovation in regulation will allow businesses to pay higher wages, while still remaining competitive. Growing middle-income jobs will reduce demand for public services and increase tax revenue.
Restructuring California’s government can be the beginning of a cycle – improved education, increased employment, decreased poverty, improved health, and less crime – that can lead to the best possible outcome: A government that achieves positive social gains in a financially sustainable way.
California Forward believes we can revive the California Dream and turn our broken government into an efficient, effective body, focused on performance, accountability, and transparency. But we must all get involved.
Website: www.cafwd.org
Over the last generation, our systems of government have failed at dealing with our state’s challenges. We aren’t getting the results we need from public programs; lawmakers are mired in gridlock; and budgets are out of balance even during good times.
There is growing concern that this dysfunction is not only impacting public programs, but the economy and the confidence of entrepreneurs to do business here.
Perplexed by the increasing dysfunction of the state’s fiscal and political systems, five major California foundations –
The California Endowment
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
– came together to create California Forward, charging it with reshaping the future of the Golden State by fundamentally changing the way government operates.
California Forward was created by combining projects from California Common Cause, Center for Governmental Studies, New California Network, and The Commonwealth Club of California's Voices of Reform Project.
The organization has established itself as a trusted, influential, and bipartisan public interest effort, with an unwavering commitment to making government work better.
Our early steps toward reform include:
- the fiscal mess through budget reform.
- Changing political incentives with redistricting and the top two primary.
Restructuring state and local government to drive innovation and results.
California Forward's mission is to work with Californians to help create a "smart" government – one that’s small enough to listen, big enough to tackle real problems, smart enough to spend our money wisely in good times and bad, and honest enough to be held accountable for results.
We’re different from other efforts to reform our state, because we believe in the importance of working together and understand that only robust public discussion and the creation of broad coalitions can move solutions forward.
California’s state and local governments must work better together for everyone. If Californians can come together to restructure the relationships between state and local governments, the experience of other states indicates that in five to seven years, we will begin to see the benefits of better governance and renewed private investment.
Continuous improvement in the performance of education and social programs will allow the state to shift resources from prisons back to universities. Efficiencies and innovation in regulation will allow businesses to pay higher wages, while still remaining competitive. Growing middle-income jobs will reduce demand for public services and increase tax revenue.
Restructuring California’s government can be the beginning of a cycle – improved education, increased employment, decreased poverty, improved health, and less crime – that can lead to the best possible outcome: A government that achieves positive social gains in a financially sustainable way.
California Forward believes we can revive the California Dream and turn our broken government into an efficient, effective body, focused on performance, accountability, and transparency. But we must all get involved.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
People St
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.peoplest.org
People St offers communities within the City of Los Angeles the opportunity to transform underused areas of LA’s largest public asset – our 6,500 miles of city streets – into active, accessible public space.
Community organizations, business owners and other groups can apply for opportunities to enhance the quality of the public realm through installing three innovative design treatments, including plazas, parklets and bike corrals.
This website is your one stop shop for information, resources and materials on People St Plazas, Parklets, and Bike Corrals, and the process for applying to bring these projects to your neighborhood.
Building from lessons learned from the city’s first six pilot projects, LADOT has been working closely in an unprecedented collaboration with community members, elected officials, and other city staff to develop People St into a program that will expedite project development and implementation with a clear, consistent process.
People St facilitates partnerships between the community and the City of Los Angeles to implement projects that transform redundant or under-used areas of street into high-quality public space.
These cost-efficient conversion projects use simple elements like moveable tables, umbrellas and chairs; paint and plantings; and lively and entertaining programming to create relatively instant transformations to improve the life of a street.
Bringing a People St project to life requires the active participation of community partners to build neighborhood support for a project, identify an appropriate site, conduct outreach, raise the money required, and provide and fund long-term maintenance.
The goal is to create true public-private partnerships on projects that are initiated and driven by and for communities.
People St contributes to more active, livable streets, enhancing quality of life in the City of Los Angeles. Providing expanded public spaces can increase safety for people who walk, bike and take transit, encourage increased levels of walking and bicycling, and support economic vitality.
New local gathering spaces can foster a greater sense of community and social cohesion. Plazas, parklets, and other new types of public space can also become centerpieces of neighborhoods, providing venues for events and celebrations.
All this activity is shown to support local businesses as more pedestrians come to and spend time in neighborhoods.
Website: www.peoplest.org
People St offers communities within the City of Los Angeles the opportunity to transform underused areas of LA’s largest public asset – our 6,500 miles of city streets – into active, accessible public space.
Community organizations, business owners and other groups can apply for opportunities to enhance the quality of the public realm through installing three innovative design treatments, including plazas, parklets and bike corrals.
This website is your one stop shop for information, resources and materials on People St Plazas, Parklets, and Bike Corrals, and the process for applying to bring these projects to your neighborhood.
Building from lessons learned from the city’s first six pilot projects, LADOT has been working closely in an unprecedented collaboration with community members, elected officials, and other city staff to develop People St into a program that will expedite project development and implementation with a clear, consistent process.
People St facilitates partnerships between the community and the City of Los Angeles to implement projects that transform redundant or under-used areas of street into high-quality public space.
These cost-efficient conversion projects use simple elements like moveable tables, umbrellas and chairs; paint and plantings; and lively and entertaining programming to create relatively instant transformations to improve the life of a street.
Bringing a People St project to life requires the active participation of community partners to build neighborhood support for a project, identify an appropriate site, conduct outreach, raise the money required, and provide and fund long-term maintenance.
The goal is to create true public-private partnerships on projects that are initiated and driven by and for communities.
People St contributes to more active, livable streets, enhancing quality of life in the City of Los Angeles. Providing expanded public spaces can increase safety for people who walk, bike and take transit, encourage increased levels of walking and bicycling, and support economic vitality.
New local gathering spaces can foster a greater sense of community and social cohesion. Plazas, parklets, and other new types of public space can also become centerpieces of neighborhoods, providing venues for events and celebrations.
All this activity is shown to support local businesses as more pedestrians come to and spend time in neighborhoods.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Modesto International Architecture Festival
Location: Modesto, CA
Website: www.modestoarchfest.com
The mission of the Modesto International Architecture Festival is to celebrate architecture and the architectural profession as both an art and a science, and to heighten public awareness of architecture and the value of architects.
The Modesto International Architecture Festival is a series of events and activities for people to learn about, discuss, and research architecture, landscape, and urban design and how they can contribute to a more livable city. It is one of only a handful of such festivals worldwide.
The Modesto International Architecture Festival is hosted by the Sierra Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Modesto Art Museum.
The host city, Modesto, has a metro population of 525,000. We are located 90 miles east of San Francisco and 300 miles northwest of Los Angeles. For decades through the 20th century, Modesto was on the cutting edge of architecture in California and the United States. Modesto's landscape, commercial, residential, and government architecture was held up as a model for others and major architects designed buildings and landscapes in the city. Among them are John Funk, William Wurster, Julia Morgan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gardner Dailey, Milton Pflueger, Thomas Church, Lawrence Halprin, Russell Guerne Lappe, and John McLaren. For a background on architecture in Modesto, read Modernism in Modesto 1937 - 1972, available from the Modesto Art Museum.
Website: www.modestoarchfest.com
The mission of the Modesto International Architecture Festival is to celebrate architecture and the architectural profession as both an art and a science, and to heighten public awareness of architecture and the value of architects.
The Modesto International Architecture Festival is a series of events and activities for people to learn about, discuss, and research architecture, landscape, and urban design and how they can contribute to a more livable city. It is one of only a handful of such festivals worldwide.
The Modesto International Architecture Festival is hosted by the Sierra Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Modesto Art Museum.
The host city, Modesto, has a metro population of 525,000. We are located 90 miles east of San Francisco and 300 miles northwest of Los Angeles. For decades through the 20th century, Modesto was on the cutting edge of architecture in California and the United States. Modesto's landscape, commercial, residential, and government architecture was held up as a model for others and major architects designed buildings and landscapes in the city. Among them are John Funk, William Wurster, Julia Morgan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gardner Dailey, Milton Pflueger, Thomas Church, Lawrence Halprin, Russell Guerne Lappe, and John McLaren. For a background on architecture in Modesto, read Modernism in Modesto 1937 - 1972, available from the Modesto Art Museum.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
San Francisco Tenants Union
Location: San Francisco, CA
Website: www.sftu.org
Since 1971, the SF Tenants Union has been fighting for the rights of tenants and for the preservation of affordable housing in San Francisco. From the struggle for rent control in the 1970s to 1998's Proposition G (to end the abuses of OMI evictions), the Tenants Union has been the city's leading advocate for tenants. The SFTU is 100% membership supported and this enables our advocacy to be uncompromising and immune to pressures from government or other funders.
For both members and non-members, the SFTU operates a drop in counseling clinic at 558 Capp Street (in the Mission District - cross street is 21st Street (Capp runs parallel to Mission St and is one block east of Mission). Counseling hours are available by calling tel:282-6622.
Counseling is free for SFTU members. Non-members are asked to donate ($20 for people of moderate incomes or above, $10 for people with low incomes) per visit (no one is turned away for lack of funds, however).
Telephone counseling is provided only to SFTU members. Non-members must come to the drop in clinic.<
SFTU members get free counseling for a year, phone counseling access, our comprehensive Tenants Rights Handbook and a subscription to Tenant Times, the city's tenant newspaper.
Website: www.sftu.org
Since 1971, the SF Tenants Union has been fighting for the rights of tenants and for the preservation of affordable housing in San Francisco. From the struggle for rent control in the 1970s to 1998's Proposition G (to end the abuses of OMI evictions), the Tenants Union has been the city's leading advocate for tenants. The SFTU is 100% membership supported and this enables our advocacy to be uncompromising and immune to pressures from government or other funders.
For both members and non-members, the SFTU operates a drop in counseling clinic at 558 Capp Street (in the Mission District - cross street is 21st Street (Capp runs parallel to Mission St and is one block east of Mission). Counseling hours are available by calling tel:282-6622.
Counseling is free for SFTU members. Non-members are asked to donate ($20 for people of moderate incomes or above, $10 for people with low incomes) per visit (no one is turned away for lack of funds, however).
Telephone counseling is provided only to SFTU members. Non-members must come to the drop in clinic.<
SFTU members get free counseling for a year, phone counseling access, our comprehensive Tenants Rights Handbook and a subscription to Tenant Times, the city's tenant newspaper.
CommUniverCity San Jose
Location: San Jose, CA
Wensite: www.cucsj.org
CommUniverCity San José believes that everyone deserves to live in vibrant, healthy, and engaged communities. Every day we work with residents to develop great neighborhoods, because no one’s opportunities in life should be limited by the place where they live.
We do this by engaging residents and students in service-learning projects that accomplish neighborhood-driven goals through a cross-sector partnership with the City of San José, the residents of Central San José neighborhoods, and San José State University students.
Wensite: www.cucsj.org
CommUniverCity San José believes that everyone deserves to live in vibrant, healthy, and engaged communities. Every day we work with residents to develop great neighborhoods, because no one’s opportunities in life should be limited by the place where they live.
We do this by engaging residents and students in service-learning projects that accomplish neighborhood-driven goals through a cross-sector partnership with the City of San José, the residents of Central San José neighborhoods, and San José State University students.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
League to Save Lake Tahoe
Location: Lake Tahoe, CA and NV
Website: www.keeptahoeblue.org
The League to Save Lake Tahoe is dedicated to protecting, restoring, and advocating for the ecosystem health and scenic beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The organization focuses on water quality and its clarity for the preservation of a pristine Lake for future generations.
Keep Tahoe Blue" means a crystal clear Lake, protecting watersheds that support native plants and forests and abundant wildlife, an active and informed community of residents and visitors who act as stewards for the Lake, and communities and facilities within longstanding urban boundaries that harmonize with the natural environment, and provide low-impact outdoor recreational opportunities now and into the future.
The League is a solutions-based environmental watchdog. Our core focus is to protect Lake Tahoe’s inspiring water clarity, We advocate for strong environmental regulation and enforcement to protect Lake Tahoe for this and future generations and collaborate with stakeholders to address environmental issues. We support collaborative, innovative, and science-based solutions to environmental issues facing the Lake.
Website: www.keeptahoeblue.org
The League to Save Lake Tahoe is dedicated to protecting, restoring, and advocating for the ecosystem health and scenic beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The organization focuses on water quality and its clarity for the preservation of a pristine Lake for future generations.
Keep Tahoe Blue" means a crystal clear Lake, protecting watersheds that support native plants and forests and abundant wildlife, an active and informed community of residents and visitors who act as stewards for the Lake, and communities and facilities within longstanding urban boundaries that harmonize with the natural environment, and provide low-impact outdoor recreational opportunities now and into the future.
The League is a solutions-based environmental watchdog. Our core focus is to protect Lake Tahoe’s inspiring water clarity, We advocate for strong environmental regulation and enforcement to protect Lake Tahoe for this and future generations and collaborate with stakeholders to address environmental issues. We support collaborative, innovative, and science-based solutions to environmental issues facing the Lake.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
SFpark
Location: San Francisco,CA
Website: www.sfpark.org
SFMTA established SFpark to use new technologies and policies to improve parking in San Francisco. Reducing traffic by helping drivers find parking benefits everyone. More parking availability makes streets less congested and safer. Meters that accept credit and debit cards reduce frustration and parking citations. With SFpark, we can all circle less and live more.
SFpark works by collecting and distributing real-time information about where parking is available so drivers can quickly find open spaces. To help achieve the right level of parking availability, SFparkperiodically adjusts meter and garage pricing up and down to match demand. Demand-responsive pricing encourages drivers to park in underused areas and garages, reducing demand in overused areas.
Through SFpark, real-time data and demand-responsive pricing work together to readjust parking patterns in the City so that parking is easier to find.
SFpark is testing its new parking management system at 7,000 of San Francisco’s 28,800 metered spaces and 12,250 spaces in 15 of 20 City-owned parking garages. Federal funding through the Department of Transportation’s Urban Partnership Program pays for 80 percent of the SFpark project.
SFpark optimizes the use of existing parking resources to benefit drivers and everyone else who spends time in San Francisco. Public transit riders, bicyclists, pedestrians, business owners, residents and visitors can all expect this innovative new parking management project to improve their quality of life in many ways.
In November 2008, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved legislation that enabled the SFpark pilot project. It defined the SFpark pilot areas and specified, as required by city law, the ranges and limits for rates and time limits, as well as parking availability targets.
SFpark is testing wireless parking sensors, new meters and demand-responsive pricing in neighborhoods across the City over the next two years. The pilot areas include Civic Center/Hayes Valley, the Financial District, SoMa/Mission Bay, the Mission, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Fillmore and the Marina.
From its technology to its unique pricing policies, publications, organizations, and government agencies around the world have recognized the SFMTA’s SFpark project for its innovative solutions to urban parking management. SF park is honored to have received or been selected as a finalist for the following awards.
The SFMTA has worked closely with a team of valued partners from academia, government, and the private sector to deliver the SFpark pilot project. Together, these organizations have not only helped improve parking in San Francisco, their contributions may lend insight to ways to help solve transportation challenges worldwide.
Website: www.sfpark.org
SFMTA established SFpark to use new technologies and policies to improve parking in San Francisco. Reducing traffic by helping drivers find parking benefits everyone. More parking availability makes streets less congested and safer. Meters that accept credit and debit cards reduce frustration and parking citations. With SFpark, we can all circle less and live more.
SFpark works by collecting and distributing real-time information about where parking is available so drivers can quickly find open spaces. To help achieve the right level of parking availability, SFparkperiodically adjusts meter and garage pricing up and down to match demand. Demand-responsive pricing encourages drivers to park in underused areas and garages, reducing demand in overused areas.
Through SFpark, real-time data and demand-responsive pricing work together to readjust parking patterns in the City so that parking is easier to find.
SFpark is testing its new parking management system at 7,000 of San Francisco’s 28,800 metered spaces and 12,250 spaces in 15 of 20 City-owned parking garages. Federal funding through the Department of Transportation’s Urban Partnership Program pays for 80 percent of the SFpark project.
SFpark optimizes the use of existing parking resources to benefit drivers and everyone else who spends time in San Francisco. Public transit riders, bicyclists, pedestrians, business owners, residents and visitors can all expect this innovative new parking management project to improve their quality of life in many ways.
In November 2008, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved legislation that enabled the SFpark pilot project. It defined the SFpark pilot areas and specified, as required by city law, the ranges and limits for rates and time limits, as well as parking availability targets.
SFpark is testing wireless parking sensors, new meters and demand-responsive pricing in neighborhoods across the City over the next two years. The pilot areas include Civic Center/Hayes Valley, the Financial District, SoMa/Mission Bay, the Mission, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Fillmore and the Marina.
From its technology to its unique pricing policies, publications, organizations, and government agencies around the world have recognized the SFMTA’s SFpark project for its innovative solutions to urban parking management. SF park is honored to have received or been selected as a finalist for the following awards.
The SFMTA has worked closely with a team of valued partners from academia, government, and the private sector to deliver the SFpark pilot project. Together, these organizations have not only helped improve parking in San Francisco, their contributions may lend insight to ways to help solve transportation challenges worldwide.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Communites for a Better Emvironment
Location: California
Website: www.cbecal.org
Founded in 1978, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) is one of the preeminent environmental justice organizations in the nation.
The mission of CBE is to build people’s power in California’s communities of color and low income communities to achieve environmental health and justice by preventing and reducing pollution and building green, healthy and sustainable communities and environments.
CBE provides residents in blighted and heavily polluted urban communities in California with organizing skills, leadership training and legal, scientific and technical assistance, so that they can successfully confront threats to their health and well-being.
CBE’s vision embraces local transformation. But the CBE vision goes far beyond local as humanity now faces environmental crisis of global proportions.
The earth’s most vulnerable populations experience the greatest suffering from environmental degradation. Climate change has triggered deadly drought, water shortages and wildfires; air and water pollution threatens food supplies and ways of life. It’s the world environmental crisis can be solved only through a fundamental transformation of our society–from values based on profit-before-all to an approach based meeting people’s fundamental needs.
Lasting solutions happen from the ground up–with the participation and leadership of residents and workers most directly affected by pollution and environmental degradation. The struggle for environmental justice is intrinsic to movement for social justice–in the U.S. and throughout the world.
CBE envisions a society in which production and consumption are based on environmental and social sustainability, where it’s held as a basic human right to breathe clean air and drink clean water in the environment where we live, work, go to school, play, and pray—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, culture, ability, nationality, or income.
Website: www.cbecal.org
Founded in 1978, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) is one of the preeminent environmental justice organizations in the nation.
The mission of CBE is to build people’s power in California’s communities of color and low income communities to achieve environmental health and justice by preventing and reducing pollution and building green, healthy and sustainable communities and environments.
CBE provides residents in blighted and heavily polluted urban communities in California with organizing skills, leadership training and legal, scientific and technical assistance, so that they can successfully confront threats to their health and well-being.
CBE’s vision embraces local transformation. But the CBE vision goes far beyond local as humanity now faces environmental crisis of global proportions.
The earth’s most vulnerable populations experience the greatest suffering from environmental degradation. Climate change has triggered deadly drought, water shortages and wildfires; air and water pollution threatens food supplies and ways of life. It’s the world environmental crisis can be solved only through a fundamental transformation of our society–from values based on profit-before-all to an approach based meeting people’s fundamental needs.
Lasting solutions happen from the ground up–with the participation and leadership of residents and workers most directly affected by pollution and environmental degradation. The struggle for environmental justice is intrinsic to movement for social justice–in the U.S. and throughout the world.
CBE envisions a society in which production and consumption are based on environmental and social sustainability, where it’s held as a basic human right to breathe clean air and drink clean water in the environment where we live, work, go to school, play, and pray—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, culture, ability, nationality, or income.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
California Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
Location: California
Website: www.allianceforbmoc.org
All Californians stand to benefit by doing everything possible to ensure that young men of color have the chance to grow up healthy, to get a good education, and to make positive contributions to their communities.
We will reap the rewards of this investment. Boys and young men of color can make our neighborhoods safer and stronger and they can work hard, innovate, and keep California competitive in the global economy. It’s time for California to renew its commitment to making sure that all young people have a fair shot to grow up healthy and successful.
The Alliance is working to ensure that California’s boys and young men of color:
- Live in safe neighborhoods,
- Succeed in school and work,and
- Possess the knowledge, skills, and leadership capacity to contribute to their families, communities, and the state’s social and economic well-being.
Working at the local and state level, the Alliance is actively pursuing reforms that will:
- Increase access to health services that recognize the strengths and assets of boys and young men of color while also responding to the trauma and chronic adversity that many face.
- Achieve 100 percent high-school graduation rates among boys and young men of color by strengthening the performance of public schools and reducing expulsion rates.
- Ensure boys and young men of color live in safe neighborhoods and can attend safe schools.
- Reduce the numbers of youth who enter the juvenile justice system and ensure that those who leave the system have the skills needed to succeed. and
- Increase access to the types of education and training that lead to meaningful employment.
With strong participation and leadership of youth, community and system players Alliance partners have launched campaigns in Oakland, Fresno, and Los Angeles. Each of these efforts is anchored by a local convener.
Website: www.allianceforbmoc.org
All Californians stand to benefit by doing everything possible to ensure that young men of color have the chance to grow up healthy, to get a good education, and to make positive contributions to their communities.
We will reap the rewards of this investment. Boys and young men of color can make our neighborhoods safer and stronger and they can work hard, innovate, and keep California competitive in the global economy. It’s time for California to renew its commitment to making sure that all young people have a fair shot to grow up healthy and successful.
The Alliance is working to ensure that California’s boys and young men of color:
- Live in safe neighborhoods,
- Succeed in school and work,and
- Possess the knowledge, skills, and leadership capacity to contribute to their families, communities, and the state’s social and economic well-being.
Working at the local and state level, the Alliance is actively pursuing reforms that will:
- Increase access to health services that recognize the strengths and assets of boys and young men of color while also responding to the trauma and chronic adversity that many face.
- Achieve 100 percent high-school graduation rates among boys and young men of color by strengthening the performance of public schools and reducing expulsion rates.
- Ensure boys and young men of color live in safe neighborhoods and can attend safe schools.
- Reduce the numbers of youth who enter the juvenile justice system and ensure that those who leave the system have the skills needed to succeed. and
- Increase access to the types of education and training that lead to meaningful employment.
With strong participation and leadership of youth, community and system players Alliance partners have launched campaigns in Oakland, Fresno, and Los Angeles. Each of these efforts is anchored by a local convener.
Urban Strategies Council
Location: Oakland, CA
Website: www.urbanstrategies.org
The Urban Strategies Council is a community building support and advocacy organization located in Oakland, California.
Founded as a non-profit in 1987, the Council works with stakeholders in low-income communities, community-based organizations, and public systems to expand services for children and families, improve health, educational, and other outcomes, and increase employment and economic opportunities
The focus of the Council's work is to support youth, family and community development as a means of building healthy, vibrant communities in order to reduce persistent poverty.
The Council is a community building support and advocacy organization. The Council's approach to its support work is focused on working community stakeholders to build strategies and capacities (including our own) for effective collective action.
We recognize that sustainable change involves not only building strategies and capacities, but also requires the exercise of leadership to build a common agenda for change that will improve outcomes for children and families.
The Council works to build partnerships and alliances across a wide array of community interests. At the same time, the Council takes leadership in identifying issues that impact urban communities, building understanding of the issues and crafting agenda for addressing those issues.
Website: www.urbanstrategies.org
The Urban Strategies Council is a community building support and advocacy organization located in Oakland, California.
Founded as a non-profit in 1987, the Council works with stakeholders in low-income communities, community-based organizations, and public systems to expand services for children and families, improve health, educational, and other outcomes, and increase employment and economic opportunities
The focus of the Council's work is to support youth, family and community development as a means of building healthy, vibrant communities in order to reduce persistent poverty.
The Council is a community building support and advocacy organization. The Council's approach to its support work is focused on working community stakeholders to build strategies and capacities (including our own) for effective collective action.
We recognize that sustainable change involves not only building strategies and capacities, but also requires the exercise of leadership to build a common agenda for change that will improve outcomes for children and families.
The Council works to build partnerships and alliances across a wide array of community interests. At the same time, the Council takes leadership in identifying issues that impact urban communities, building understanding of the issues and crafting agenda for addressing those issues.
California Tomorrow
Location: California
Website: www.californiatomorrow.org
California Tomorrow provides leadership, research, customized strategies and ongoing support to community organizations, schools, policymakers and advocates working toward a more equitable, inclusive, multicultural society. We help transform institutions so that they are better able to serve a broader, more diverse public.
California has become one of the most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse societies of our time. 25 years ago, the state’s population was nearly two-thirds White; today in 2006 it is 55% people of color, and no single group holds an ethnic majority. Our state is rapidly leading where the rest of the nation will follow: into a rich and complex multicultural future – where our diversity offers great benefits and resources but also carries the enduring legacies of racism and inequity, and where both individuals and institutions need new skills and approaches if we are to ensure everyone in our communities has access to power, opportunity and the ability to thrive.
In 1984, California Tomorrow emerged as one of the first voices to call attention to this historic transformation and to embrace our society’s tremendous diversity as one of our greatest strengths.
More than twenty years later, the questions at the heart of our work are more important than ever: How can we create change to ensure economic equality, challenge oppression, expand opportunity, and advance social justice? How can we increase respect and understanding for all cultures and communities? How can we build strong vibrant relationships across lines of ethnicity, language and class? And how can we support communities to draw on the power of multiple perspectives and voices?
We find the answers in putting values like accountability, equity, inclusion and interdependence to work in public institutions, community organizations, and policymaking. Throughout the state and around the country, California Tomorrow engages directly with public schools, after school and youth programs, early childhood programs, community colleges, policymakers, community organizations and philanthropic foundations in multifaceted change efforts:
- We advance new paradigms for cross cultural interaction and partnership,
- We use data to shine light on disparities and call for the targeting of resources to the people and communities that need them the most.
- We use research to inspire hope – to share and show what equity-centered education, youth programming, community projects and policy initiatives look like.
- We provide technical assistance, training and tools to change the culture of organizations so that diverse cultures are valued and affirmed, multiple perspectives are included, equity becomes a top priority, and progress is measured over time.
- We put forth new models, new strategies, and new policy directions to bring about equity in our institutions and our society.
California Tomorrow has ceased operations as of. December 2010. This website remains an archive.
After a period of careful consideration and deep reflection by our board and staff, we have made the difficult decision that it is time for California Tomorrow to close its doors, effective at the end of this year.
There has been tremendous growth in the education reform and educational equity field over the past two-and-a-half decades, and we take great pride in blazing a trail for and providing support to the many exceptional organizations and practitioners who will continue the work California Tomorrow catalyzed.
Over the past several years we have seen shifts in funders’ priorities in the education field, and the continuing economic difficulties have impacted many funders’ assets causing them to pull back considerably on their grantmaking. Ultimately we concluded that it was simply not possible for California Tomorrow to secure the funding we need to continue with our core programs and the new work we hoped to be able to launch this year.
As we conclude our work, we wanted to make sure you’re aware of several important contributions California Tomorrow is making to the field this fall and over the last year (all of which are available on our website: www.californiatomorrow.org).
Our framework on English Learners in AfterSchool: Learning English & Beyond: A Holistic Approach for Supporting English Learners in After School, October 2009
California Community Colleges Access and Equity Issue Brief: How the Great Recession is Creating a Crisis of Equal Opportunity in California's Community Colleges, May 2010
California's Prospects: Reclaiming the Promise of Access and Equity in California's Community Colleges, October 2010
We also wanted to let you know about an additional toolkit that we have just released:an Equity-Driven Systems Change (ESC) Toolkit, designed for the Community College field but adaptable to the PreK-20 spectrum. This change management Toolkit provides strategies and support to implement many of the concepts shared in the Educational Equity Framework.
We strongly believe that each of these contributions will continue our work of shaping the field and moving the dialogue and practice around equity and social justice in education forward.
We also wanted to assure you that the people many of you have come to depend on for consultation and thought partnership will remain available as resources to the field:
Jhumpa Bhattacharya and Jimena Quiroga will carry on their work around robust approaches to supporting English Learners in Afterschool, equity and diversity, and student voice and leadership development, as independent consultants via the ThrivePoint Group. (They have also produced a accompanying Toolkit to support English Learner success in the Afterschool field.
Singhashri (Kica) Gazmuri will also be starting a consulting practice to support the Afterschool, Community College, and K-12 fields through equity-driven change management, strategic planning, training, and field-building.
Anne Price authored the two community college publications noted above and is a vital resource to the Community College field with her expertise on issues of equity, access, and inclusion.
Sheryl Petty will continue her work supporting the field to implement and translate the Equity Framework to various educational contexts. Her work will focus on sparking the formation of more alliances, networks, and bridge-building across typically disparate audiences in the education field. As part of this work, she is facilitating the development of the Transformational Educational Systems Alliance, which held their first meeting this month. Core leaders for the work have been convened to conceptualize how to move a transformative agenda in each of their respective spheres.
California Tomorrow has produced many important resources over the past two and a half decades, and we wanted to assure you that those resources will continue to be available to the field. Our website will be transformed into an archive of our work with materials there available free of charge. In addition, we are identifying organizations to house our archive of print resources. Information on where to find hard copies of our products will available on the website.
Over the last year of planning, we have drawn several critical conclusions about what’s needed in the field going forward, namely that: the field is in great need of more collaborative efforts that help link the best of equity-driven change agents and organizations across practitioners, policy advocates, organizers, educator preparation programs and professional development, technical assistance providers, researchers, and funders.
These worlds are too often fragmented in their analyses, approaches to change, and constituencies (among other areas). And yet if we are to become a cohesive, unified field of progressive change agents, we have to undo the forces that continue to have us vie for resources, positioning, and visibility. We must learn how to more deeply link arms and understand the unique perspectives and challenges of intentionally moving a transformative agenda from public discourse, to policy development, to practice/on-the-ground implementation.
This new frontier of functioning, deeper understanding, and mutual advocacy is critical for the survival of organizations and constituencies committed to social justice and building joyful, healthy, reflective, socially and economically prosperous, diverse communities. We must learn how to better leverage and support one another. This way of functioning more so in deep alliances, collaboratives, and movement-building structures may also be a new frontier for the funding world, in that the goals, objectives, avenues of action, and measures of success for such work may be less familiar, but also more catalytic towards radically improving our collective well-being. To the Future… While this has been an incredibly difficult decision to come to, we are confident that it is timely given the needs in the field, the funding landscape, and our capacity. And as we look forward to new horizons, we are proud of the work that we have accomplished on behalf of students, educators, and communities across the state and across the nation.
Everyone at California Tomorrow wishes to thank all the people who have made our work possible—our funders, former staff and board members, colleagues, community builders, educators, and students who so enriched our personal and professional lives. We are incredibly grateful for your passion for the work and for your inspiration in helping our communities, the state, and the country understand more deeply what it means to build a thriving, diverse, and just society.
Website: www.californiatomorrow.org
California Tomorrow provides leadership, research, customized strategies and ongoing support to community organizations, schools, policymakers and advocates working toward a more equitable, inclusive, multicultural society. We help transform institutions so that they are better able to serve a broader, more diverse public.
California has become one of the most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse societies of our time. 25 years ago, the state’s population was nearly two-thirds White; today in 2006 it is 55% people of color, and no single group holds an ethnic majority. Our state is rapidly leading where the rest of the nation will follow: into a rich and complex multicultural future – where our diversity offers great benefits and resources but also carries the enduring legacies of racism and inequity, and where both individuals and institutions need new skills and approaches if we are to ensure everyone in our communities has access to power, opportunity and the ability to thrive.
In 1984, California Tomorrow emerged as one of the first voices to call attention to this historic transformation and to embrace our society’s tremendous diversity as one of our greatest strengths.
More than twenty years later, the questions at the heart of our work are more important than ever: How can we create change to ensure economic equality, challenge oppression, expand opportunity, and advance social justice? How can we increase respect and understanding for all cultures and communities? How can we build strong vibrant relationships across lines of ethnicity, language and class? And how can we support communities to draw on the power of multiple perspectives and voices?
We find the answers in putting values like accountability, equity, inclusion and interdependence to work in public institutions, community organizations, and policymaking. Throughout the state and around the country, California Tomorrow engages directly with public schools, after school and youth programs, early childhood programs, community colleges, policymakers, community organizations and philanthropic foundations in multifaceted change efforts:
- We advance new paradigms for cross cultural interaction and partnership,
- We use data to shine light on disparities and call for the targeting of resources to the people and communities that need them the most.
- We use research to inspire hope – to share and show what equity-centered education, youth programming, community projects and policy initiatives look like.
- We provide technical assistance, training and tools to change the culture of organizations so that diverse cultures are valued and affirmed, multiple perspectives are included, equity becomes a top priority, and progress is measured over time.
- We put forth new models, new strategies, and new policy directions to bring about equity in our institutions and our society.
California Tomorrow has ceased operations as of. December 2010. This website remains an archive.
After a period of careful consideration and deep reflection by our board and staff, we have made the difficult decision that it is time for California Tomorrow to close its doors, effective at the end of this year.
There has been tremendous growth in the education reform and educational equity field over the past two-and-a-half decades, and we take great pride in blazing a trail for and providing support to the many exceptional organizations and practitioners who will continue the work California Tomorrow catalyzed.
Over the past several years we have seen shifts in funders’ priorities in the education field, and the continuing economic difficulties have impacted many funders’ assets causing them to pull back considerably on their grantmaking. Ultimately we concluded that it was simply not possible for California Tomorrow to secure the funding we need to continue with our core programs and the new work we hoped to be able to launch this year.
As we conclude our work, we wanted to make sure you’re aware of several important contributions California Tomorrow is making to the field this fall and over the last year (all of which are available on our website: www.californiatomorrow.org).
Our framework on English Learners in AfterSchool: Learning English & Beyond: A Holistic Approach for Supporting English Learners in After School, October 2009
California Community Colleges Access and Equity Issue Brief: How the Great Recession is Creating a Crisis of Equal Opportunity in California's Community Colleges, May 2010
California's Prospects: Reclaiming the Promise of Access and Equity in California's Community Colleges, October 2010
We also wanted to let you know about an additional toolkit that we have just released:an Equity-Driven Systems Change (ESC) Toolkit, designed for the Community College field but adaptable to the PreK-20 spectrum. This change management Toolkit provides strategies and support to implement many of the concepts shared in the Educational Equity Framework.
We strongly believe that each of these contributions will continue our work of shaping the field and moving the dialogue and practice around equity and social justice in education forward.
We also wanted to assure you that the people many of you have come to depend on for consultation and thought partnership will remain available as resources to the field:
Jhumpa Bhattacharya and Jimena Quiroga will carry on their work around robust approaches to supporting English Learners in Afterschool, equity and diversity, and student voice and leadership development, as independent consultants via the ThrivePoint Group. (They have also produced a accompanying Toolkit to support English Learner success in the Afterschool field.
Singhashri (Kica) Gazmuri will also be starting a consulting practice to support the Afterschool, Community College, and K-12 fields through equity-driven change management, strategic planning, training, and field-building.
Anne Price authored the two community college publications noted above and is a vital resource to the Community College field with her expertise on issues of equity, access, and inclusion.
Sheryl Petty will continue her work supporting the field to implement and translate the Equity Framework to various educational contexts. Her work will focus on sparking the formation of more alliances, networks, and bridge-building across typically disparate audiences in the education field. As part of this work, she is facilitating the development of the Transformational Educational Systems Alliance, which held their first meeting this month. Core leaders for the work have been convened to conceptualize how to move a transformative agenda in each of their respective spheres.
California Tomorrow has produced many important resources over the past two and a half decades, and we wanted to assure you that those resources will continue to be available to the field. Our website will be transformed into an archive of our work with materials there available free of charge. In addition, we are identifying organizations to house our archive of print resources. Information on where to find hard copies of our products will available on the website.
Over the last year of planning, we have drawn several critical conclusions about what’s needed in the field going forward, namely that: the field is in great need of more collaborative efforts that help link the best of equity-driven change agents and organizations across practitioners, policy advocates, organizers, educator preparation programs and professional development, technical assistance providers, researchers, and funders.
These worlds are too often fragmented in their analyses, approaches to change, and constituencies (among other areas). And yet if we are to become a cohesive, unified field of progressive change agents, we have to undo the forces that continue to have us vie for resources, positioning, and visibility. We must learn how to more deeply link arms and understand the unique perspectives and challenges of intentionally moving a transformative agenda from public discourse, to policy development, to practice/on-the-ground implementation.
This new frontier of functioning, deeper understanding, and mutual advocacy is critical for the survival of organizations and constituencies committed to social justice and building joyful, healthy, reflective, socially and economically prosperous, diverse communities. We must learn how to better leverage and support one another. This way of functioning more so in deep alliances, collaboratives, and movement-building structures may also be a new frontier for the funding world, in that the goals, objectives, avenues of action, and measures of success for such work may be less familiar, but also more catalytic towards radically improving our collective well-being. To the Future… While this has been an incredibly difficult decision to come to, we are confident that it is timely given the needs in the field, the funding landscape, and our capacity. And as we look forward to new horizons, we are proud of the work that we have accomplished on behalf of students, educators, and communities across the state and across the nation.
Everyone at California Tomorrow wishes to thank all the people who have made our work possible—our funders, former staff and board members, colleagues, community builders, educators, and students who so enriched our personal and professional lives. We are incredibly grateful for your passion for the work and for your inspiration in helping our communities, the state, and the country understand more deeply what it means to build a thriving, diverse, and just society.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
LA River Revitalization Corp.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.larivercorp.com
The LA River Corp will change the course of LA. Our objective is to create healthy, vibrant communities with greater open space, enhanced green infrastructure, and better recreational facilities.
We are a non-profit venture charged with catalyzing responsible real estate and related economic development along the LA River.
Our mission is to transform the LA River to improve people’s lives by carrying out sustainable land use projects, advocacy for river friendly policy, and programs for community benefit.
We are working to create a continuous 51-mile greenway corridor that will run along a restored LA River. Think of it as a linear Central Park—a grand public space that will redefine how we move through Los Angeles.
The LA River can connect people throughout Los Angeles, restore natural habitat in some of the most park-poor communities in the country, and leave an open space legacy for generations to come.
We can enhance the quality of life in a city hungry for green space and strengthen communities by restoring the LA River to a vibrant green corridor that people from throughout the country will want to visit and enjoy.
Website: www.larivercorp.com
The LA River Corp will change the course of LA. Our objective is to create healthy, vibrant communities with greater open space, enhanced green infrastructure, and better recreational facilities.
We are a non-profit venture charged with catalyzing responsible real estate and related economic development along the LA River.
Our mission is to transform the LA River to improve people’s lives by carrying out sustainable land use projects, advocacy for river friendly policy, and programs for community benefit.
We are working to create a continuous 51-mile greenway corridor that will run along a restored LA River. Think of it as a linear Central Park—a grand public space that will redefine how we move through Los Angeles.
The LA River can connect people throughout Los Angeles, restore natural habitat in some of the most park-poor communities in the country, and leave an open space legacy for generations to come.
We can enhance the quality of life in a city hungry for green space and strengthen communities by restoring the LA River to a vibrant green corridor that people from throughout the country will want to visit and enjoy.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Greenbelt Alliance
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Website: www.greenbelt.org
The Bay Area has the best of everything – stunning natural beauty, vibrant cities and neighborhoods, bountiful farms, and a diversity of cultural and economic opportunities. The challenge is how the region handles growth. We have a choice – to create wonderful cities and towns or to spread ever outward, agricultural landscape from development – the hills that offer stunning views, the valleys and streams that provide clean water, the farms and ranches that give us fresh, local food. We help create great cities and neighborhoods – healthy places where people can walk and bike, communities with parks and shops, transportation options, and homes that are affordable. Together these amazing places drive the Bay Area’s economic vitality and quality of life.
At Greenbelt Alliance we believe in collaboration. We bring together residents and decision-makers, business leaders, labor unions and others to find innovative solutions to our region’s growth challenges. We work both regionally and locally, blending expertise with on-the-ground action to help people explore our great region, make their neighborhoods thrive and save treasured landscapes from sprawl.
The places that make the Bay Area special are incredibly diverse, which is why Greenbelt Alliance’s work takes many forms, from saving farms in Santa Clara County and wildlife habitat in Sonoma County to revitaliziing commercial strips in Silicon Valley and Oakland. For more than 50 years, we have succeeded in helping to shape the amazing places of the Bay Area.
At Greenbelt Alliance, we bring people together around the places that matter to them. We envision a future where the Bay Area’s natural and agricultural landscapes that provide so much are protected and nurtured. We envision a future where everyone – regardless of their socioeconomic status – can live in a neighborhood they are proud to call home.
Greenbelt Alliance is the champion of the places that make the Bay Area special. We defend the Bay Area’s natural and agricultural landscape from development – the hills that offer stunning views, the valleys and streams that provide clean water, the farms and ranches that give us fresh, local food.
We help create great cities and neighborhoods – healthy places where people can walk and bike, communities with parks and shops, transportation options, and homes that are affordable. Together these amazing places drive the Bay Area’s economic vitality and quality of life.
At Greenbelt Alliance we believe in collaboration. We bring together residents and decision-makers, business leaders, labor unions and others to find innovative solutions to our region’s growth challenges.
We work both regionally and locally, blending expertise with on-the-ground action to help people explore our great region, make their neighborhoods thrive and save treasured landscapes from sprawl.
We envision a future where everyone – regardless of their socioeconomic status – can live in a neighborhood they are proud to call home.
Greenbelt Alliance’s mission is to make the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area a better place to live by protecting the region’s greenbelt and improving the livability of its cities and towns. We work through public policy development, advocacy and education, in partnership with diverse coalitions.
Grow Smart Bay Area is Greenbelt Alliance’s vision for the region to become more climate-friendly, affordable, and economically competitive, while protecting our farms, forests, and watersheds. By 2035, we call for:
- Fully protecting the Bay Area’s three million-acre greenbelt,
- Directing all new development into already urbanized areas, and
- Accomplishing both in a way that equitably benefits all Bay Area residents.
Website: www.greenbelt.org
The Bay Area has the best of everything – stunning natural beauty, vibrant cities and neighborhoods, bountiful farms, and a diversity of cultural and economic opportunities. The challenge is how the region handles growth. We have a choice – to create wonderful cities and towns or to spread ever outward, agricultural landscape from development – the hills that offer stunning views, the valleys and streams that provide clean water, the farms and ranches that give us fresh, local food. We help create great cities and neighborhoods – healthy places where people can walk and bike, communities with parks and shops, transportation options, and homes that are affordable. Together these amazing places drive the Bay Area’s economic vitality and quality of life.
At Greenbelt Alliance we believe in collaboration. We bring together residents and decision-makers, business leaders, labor unions and others to find innovative solutions to our region’s growth challenges. We work both regionally and locally, blending expertise with on-the-ground action to help people explore our great region, make their neighborhoods thrive and save treasured landscapes from sprawl.
The places that make the Bay Area special are incredibly diverse, which is why Greenbelt Alliance’s work takes many forms, from saving farms in Santa Clara County and wildlife habitat in Sonoma County to revitaliziing commercial strips in Silicon Valley and Oakland. For more than 50 years, we have succeeded in helping to shape the amazing places of the Bay Area.
At Greenbelt Alliance, we bring people together around the places that matter to them. We envision a future where the Bay Area’s natural and agricultural landscapes that provide so much are protected and nurtured. We envision a future where everyone – regardless of their socioeconomic status – can live in a neighborhood they are proud to call home.
Greenbelt Alliance is the champion of the places that make the Bay Area special. We defend the Bay Area’s natural and agricultural landscape from development – the hills that offer stunning views, the valleys and streams that provide clean water, the farms and ranches that give us fresh, local food.
We help create great cities and neighborhoods – healthy places where people can walk and bike, communities with parks and shops, transportation options, and homes that are affordable. Together these amazing places drive the Bay Area’s economic vitality and quality of life.
At Greenbelt Alliance we believe in collaboration. We bring together residents and decision-makers, business leaders, labor unions and others to find innovative solutions to our region’s growth challenges.
We work both regionally and locally, blending expertise with on-the-ground action to help people explore our great region, make their neighborhoods thrive and save treasured landscapes from sprawl.
We envision a future where everyone – regardless of their socioeconomic status – can live in a neighborhood they are proud to call home.
Greenbelt Alliance’s mission is to make the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area a better place to live by protecting the region’s greenbelt and improving the livability of its cities and towns. We work through public policy development, advocacy and education, in partnership with diverse coalitions.
Grow Smart Bay Area is Greenbelt Alliance’s vision for the region to become more climate-friendly, affordable, and economically competitive, while protecting our farms, forests, and watersheds. By 2035, we call for:
- Fully protecting the Bay Area’s three million-acre greenbelt,
- Directing all new development into already urbanized areas, and
- Accomplishing both in a way that equitably benefits all Bay Area residents.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
EastsiderLA
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.eastsiderla.com
The Eastsider is Jesus Sanchez, a journalist with more than 25 years of experience in newspapers and online journalism. Sanchez was born in Boyle Heights and raised in East Los Angeles and later, the west San Gabriel Valley. He has called Echo Park home for more than 20 years. Unless otherwise noted, stories, photos and other content appearing on The Eastsider were created by Sanchez.
Is this a personal blog, online newspaper or community forum?
The Eastsider is a hybrid of news, occasional opinion, observations and links to other web sites, all curated for an Eastside audience. The Eastsider also calls upon some trustworthy and talented contributors for stories, photographs and other content. The blog published its first post on July 28, 2008.
The Eastsider Forums, community message and discussion boards devoted to specific issues.
What does The Eastsider cover?
The Eastsider is most interested in his own neighborhood – Echo Park – but also strives to cover news & stories from these neighborhoods: Angeleno Heights, Atwater Village, Boyle Heights, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles, Echo Park, El Sereno, Elysian Heights, Elysian Valley, Glassell Park, Hermon, Highland Park, Historic Filipinotown, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Mt. Washington, Northeast LA, Silver Lake and Solano Canyon. Readers can click on the neighborhood names found in the middle column on the web site’s front page. There is way more neighborhood news than The Eastsider can cover on his own. Tips, story ideas and other contributions are always welcome.
Website: www.eastsiderla.com
The Eastsider is Jesus Sanchez, a journalist with more than 25 years of experience in newspapers and online journalism. Sanchez was born in Boyle Heights and raised in East Los Angeles and later, the west San Gabriel Valley. He has called Echo Park home for more than 20 years. Unless otherwise noted, stories, photos and other content appearing on The Eastsider were created by Sanchez.
Is this a personal blog, online newspaper or community forum?
The Eastsider is a hybrid of news, occasional opinion, observations and links to other web sites, all curated for an Eastside audience. The Eastsider also calls upon some trustworthy and talented contributors for stories, photographs and other content. The blog published its first post on July 28, 2008.
The Eastsider Forums, community message and discussion boards devoted to specific issues.
What does The Eastsider cover?
The Eastsider is most interested in his own neighborhood – Echo Park – but also strives to cover news & stories from these neighborhoods: Angeleno Heights, Atwater Village, Boyle Heights, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles, Echo Park, El Sereno, Elysian Heights, Elysian Valley, Glassell Park, Hermon, Highland Park, Historic Filipinotown, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Mt. Washington, Northeast LA, Silver Lake and Solano Canyon. Readers can click on the neighborhood names found in the middle column on the web site’s front page. There is way more neighborhood news than The Eastsider can cover on his own. Tips, story ideas and other contributions are always welcome.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.laforum.org
Founded in January of 1987, the Forum has organized lecture series and site visits to significant buildings and sites throughout Los Angeles and the region; hosted a number of special events, symposia and a theory reading group; held several design competitions; distributed a quarterly newsletter and online articles; produced many publications, including Experimental Architecture in Los Angeles (Rizzoli International) and Everyday Urbanism (Monacelli Press), as well as national-distributed pamphlet-sized books.
Website: www.laforum.org
Founded in January of 1987, the Forum has organized lecture series and site visits to significant buildings and sites throughout Los Angeles and the region; hosted a number of special events, symposia and a theory reading group; held several design competitions; distributed a quarterly newsletter and online articles; produced many publications, including Experimental Architecture in Los Angeles (Rizzoli International) and Everyday Urbanism (Monacelli Press), as well as national-distributed pamphlet-sized books.
The Forum has worked with other groups, architects and institutions to understand its community and participate in activities to rebuild it.
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design provides a framework for design professionals and members of the general public to explore, evaluate, and impact the development of architecture in Los Angeles.
Throughout its 20+ years of operation, the Forum has brought together young designers, seasoned professionals, critics, urban theorists, artists, students, and people interested in their physical environment in a diverse series of activities.
The Forum seeks to reach out beyond the confines of professional organizations, schools and established groups and does not limit itself to one approach to design or theory.
It provokes discussion, seeks out places and designs unseen or unnoticed by the general public, publicizes architectural investigation and commentary, and promotes the serious exploration of strategies to influence the development of our urban environment.
Financial support for LA Forum projects has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Woodbury University School of Architecture, and from many members over the years.
The Forum is widely recognized as one of the most active architecture and urban design groups in Southern California.
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design provides a framework for design professionals and members of the general public to explore, evaluate, and impact the development of architecture in Los Angeles.
Throughout its 20+ years of operation, the Forum has brought together young designers, seasoned professionals, critics, urban theorists, artists, students, and people interested in their physical environment in a diverse series of activities.
The Forum seeks to reach out beyond the confines of professional organizations, schools and established groups and does not limit itself to one approach to design or theory.
It provokes discussion, seeks out places and designs unseen or unnoticed by the general public, publicizes architectural investigation and commentary, and promotes the serious exploration of strategies to influence the development of our urban environment.
Financial support for LA Forum projects has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Woodbury University School of Architecture, and from many members over the years.
The Forum is widely recognized as one of the most active architecture and urban design groups in Southern California.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
TransForm
Location: California
Website: www.transform.org
TransForm started as a coalition of environmental, social equity, and community groups to bring a smart growth vision to life in the Bay Area. We continue to create innovate local models in the Bay Area and are working to promote smarter regional planning throughout California.
Since 2009, TransForm has also engaged in state policy, and from our Sacramento office we are leading advocacy efforts to reform state transportation policy.
Our successes in reshaping regional planning and winning billions of dollars for public transportation, walking and bicycling and affordable homes have been recognized and emulated throughout the nation. Today, we continue to build on our success in the Bay Area and are leading a statewide movement to transform transportation. Billions of dollars for California’s public transportation has been redirected for other uses over the past decade. For almost four years, TransForm has worked from its Sacramento office to provide a consistent voice for the urgent need for sustainable and equitable state transportation policies.
TransForm will host the second California Transportation Choices Summit and Advocacy Day on April 22-24. Hundreds of advocates and organizations will unite to share information and develop strategies for maximizing the impact of our movement. Our top 2013 priority is to get a funding commitment for sustainable transportation and land use from the State’s new Cap and Trade program. Another focus is reducing the voter threshold to 55% for measures that implement Sustainable Communities Strategies and have overall benefits for low-income communities.
The State is facing critical, cross-cutting growth issues such as the disbanding of redevelopment agencies, loss of affordable housing funds, and continued regulatory barriers to transit-oriented development issues. But many of our closest partners have not worked together on state policy. The State is facing critical, cross-cutting growth issues such as the disbanding of redevelopment agencies, loss of affordable housing funds, and continued regulatory barriers to transit-oriented development issues. But many of our closest partners have not worked together on state policy.
TransForm and ClimatePlan are bringing groups together to identify common ground, build relationships, and identify solutions such as developing new funding sources for transit-oriented development that includes affordable housing. ClimatePlan’s state policy group will continue to take the lead in making sure the Air Resources Board’s review of Sustainable Communities Strategies holds regions accountable.
TransForm will partner with allies to ensure the new law prioritizes bicycle safety.
TransForm and ClimatePlan are bringing groups together to identify common ground, build relationships, and identify solutions such as developing new funding sources for transit-oriented development that includes affordable housing. ClimatePlan’s state policy group will continue to take the lead in making sure the Air Resources Board’s review of Sustainable Communities Strategies holds regions to a high standard.
In 2012, TransForm joined with California Pan-Ethnic Health Network to sponsor and pass AB 441. The law requires the State to identify transportation projects and programs that improve public health and health equity and include that in the next update of Regional Transportation Plan guidelines. TransForm is seeking partners and funding to create an on-line,dynamic tool called for our 2012 report, this tool will document successful strategies across California,with updated case studies, measurable outcomes, and more. This can help inform state policy, and create a template of programs for when the guidelines are next updated.
Website: www.transform.org
TransForm started as a coalition of environmental, social equity, and community groups to bring a smart growth vision to life in the Bay Area. We continue to create innovate local models in the Bay Area and are working to promote smarter regional planning throughout California.
Since 2009, TransForm has also engaged in state policy, and from our Sacramento office we are leading advocacy efforts to reform state transportation policy.
Our successes in reshaping regional planning and winning billions of dollars for public transportation, walking and bicycling and affordable homes have been recognized and emulated throughout the nation. Today, we continue to build on our success in the Bay Area and are leading a statewide movement to transform transportation. Billions of dollars for California’s public transportation has been redirected for other uses over the past decade. For almost four years, TransForm has worked from its Sacramento office to provide a consistent voice for the urgent need for sustainable and equitable state transportation policies.
TransForm will host the second California Transportation Choices Summit and Advocacy Day on April 22-24. Hundreds of advocates and organizations will unite to share information and develop strategies for maximizing the impact of our movement. Our top 2013 priority is to get a funding commitment for sustainable transportation and land use from the State’s new Cap and Trade program. Another focus is reducing the voter threshold to 55% for measures that implement Sustainable Communities Strategies and have overall benefits for low-income communities.
The State is facing critical, cross-cutting growth issues such as the disbanding of redevelopment agencies, loss of affordable housing funds, and continued regulatory barriers to transit-oriented development issues. But many of our closest partners have not worked together on state policy. The State is facing critical, cross-cutting growth issues such as the disbanding of redevelopment agencies, loss of affordable housing funds, and continued regulatory barriers to transit-oriented development issues. But many of our closest partners have not worked together on state policy.
TransForm and ClimatePlan are bringing groups together to identify common ground, build relationships, and identify solutions such as developing new funding sources for transit-oriented development that includes affordable housing. ClimatePlan’s state policy group will continue to take the lead in making sure the Air Resources Board’s review of Sustainable Communities Strategies holds regions accountable.
TransForm will partner with allies to ensure the new law prioritizes bicycle safety.
TransForm and ClimatePlan are bringing groups together to identify common ground, build relationships, and identify solutions such as developing new funding sources for transit-oriented development that includes affordable housing. ClimatePlan’s state policy group will continue to take the lead in making sure the Air Resources Board’s review of Sustainable Communities Strategies holds regions to a high standard.
In 2012, TransForm joined with California Pan-Ethnic Health Network to sponsor and pass AB 441. The law requires the State to identify transportation projects and programs that improve public health and health equity and include that in the next update of Regional Transportation Plan guidelines. TransForm is seeking partners and funding to create an on-line,dynamic tool called for our 2012 report, this tool will document successful strategies across California,with updated case studies, measurable outcomes, and more. This can help inform state policy, and create a template of programs for when the guidelines are next updated.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Location: Sacramento, CA
Website: www.sactree.com
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to grow healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by building the best regional urban forest in the nation. We are leading the effort to plant 5 million trees in the Sacramento region.
The Sacramento Tree Foundation relies on private-public partnerships to enable its success. Our core staff made up of dedicated and passionate individuals work hand-in-hand with a committed Board of Directors, an unmatched Technical Advisory Commitee, and many business and civic partners.
Website: www.sactree.com
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to grow healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by building the best regional urban forest in the nation. We are leading the effort to plant 5 million trees in the Sacramento region.
The Sacramento Tree Foundation relies on private-public partnerships to enable its success. Our core staff made up of dedicated and passionate individuals work hand-in-hand with a committed Board of Directors, an unmatched Technical Advisory Commitee, and many business and civic partners.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
BayShare
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Website: www.bayshare.org
BayShare is an advocacy organization whose mission is to make the Bay Area the best place on the planet for sharing. As this movement grows, BayShare will explore how city stakeholders and the sharing community can work together to help the Sharing Economy flourish in the Bay Area to benefit the city, businesses, and communities.
The organization looks to be a resource for the Mayor’s Working Group on the Sharing Economy and it will also serve as a resource for the public by hosting events and providing educational materials so that more residents and businesses engage with this new economy.
The Sharing Economy is a popular way for individuals, governments and businesses to access goods and services in new and less expensive ways.
Today people are bartering, lending, trading, gifting and swapping their homes, cars, power drills, skills and even extra time. Spurred by need and a shift in cultural values, and empowered by peer technologies and business models, the sharing economy is democratizing access to resources of all kinds - tangible assets, services, knowledge, capital, production technology, and decision making power.
In its many innovations - some old, some new - include car sharing, cooperatives, crowdfunding, ride sharing, coworking, open source software, participatory budgeting, and peer accommodation to name a few, the Sharing Economy provides an opportunity to explore how we can lead more connected, sustainable lives while benefitting the cities we inhabit. The Bay Area has lead the country in adopting the Sharing Economy and in recognizing its social, environmental, and economic benefits. Many new sharing businesses have headquartered in the Bay Area, making the city an incubator for new business models that create jobs, empower citizens, and creates a more robust community.
Considered to be the next billion dollar industry, the Sharing Economy can help Bay Area residents maintain a high quality of life while living in the hub of the most expensive city in the country. Individuals and businesses across the socio-economic spectrum are able to access new economic opportunities by monetizing their underutilized assets.
Conversely, those who need access to those assets can get them from their neighbors more affordably. A new service industry providing flexible jobs has also cropped up as a result. The impact of these services and new revenue streams on household budgets can be significant.
Innovative use of existing resources cultivates a more sustainable economy based on efficient use of resources. This kind of resource efficiency can significantly reduce waste and help San Franciscans maintain lighter environmental footprints. Sharing builds community and fills market gaps. The Sharing Economy gives citizens a sense of place and purpose in their neighborhoods, and connects them to where they live. This creates a more connected and resilient San Francisco that will be beneficial both now and in times of crisis.
The Sharing Economy is a popular way for individuals, governments and businesses to access goods and services in new and less expensive ways. Today people are bartering, lending, trading, gifting and swapping their homes, cars, power drills, skills and even extra time. Spurred by need and a shift in cultural values, and empowered by peer technologies and business models, the sharing economy is democratizing access to resources of all kinds - tangible assets, services, knowledge, capital, production technology, and decision making power.
In its many innovations - some old, some new - include car sharing, cooperatives, crowdfunding, ride sharing, coworking, open source software, participatory budgeting, and peer accommodation to name a few, the Sharing Economy provides an opportunity to explore how we can lead more connected, sustainable lives while benefitting the cities we inhabit.
BayShare members have already contributed to initiatives to improve the Bay Area such as participatory budgeting, democratizing access to production capacity and providing car sharing services and fleets to decrease the number of cars on the road, contributing environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to the city of San Francisco.
The Sharing Economy and the Bay Area local government have common goals: to increase resource efficiency, to create jobs and income, to build community, and to achieve zero-waste. There is a great opportunity to combine our efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Bay Area.
BayShare members have already contributed to initiatives to improve the Bay Area such as participatory budgeting, democratizing access to production capacity and providing car sharing services and fleets to decrease the number of cars on the road, contributing environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to the city of San Francisco.The Sharing Economy and the Bay Area local government have common goals: to increase resource efficiency, to create jobs and income, to build community, and to achieve zero-waste. There is a great opportunity to combine our efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Bay Area.
Website: www.bayshare.org
BayShare is an advocacy organization whose mission is to make the Bay Area the best place on the planet for sharing. As this movement grows, BayShare will explore how city stakeholders and the sharing community can work together to help the Sharing Economy flourish in the Bay Area to benefit the city, businesses, and communities.
The organization looks to be a resource for the Mayor’s Working Group on the Sharing Economy and it will also serve as a resource for the public by hosting events and providing educational materials so that more residents and businesses engage with this new economy.
The Sharing Economy is a popular way for individuals, governments and businesses to access goods and services in new and less expensive ways.
Today people are bartering, lending, trading, gifting and swapping their homes, cars, power drills, skills and even extra time. Spurred by need and a shift in cultural values, and empowered by peer technologies and business models, the sharing economy is democratizing access to resources of all kinds - tangible assets, services, knowledge, capital, production technology, and decision making power.
In its many innovations - some old, some new - include car sharing, cooperatives, crowdfunding, ride sharing, coworking, open source software, participatory budgeting, and peer accommodation to name a few, the Sharing Economy provides an opportunity to explore how we can lead more connected, sustainable lives while benefitting the cities we inhabit. The Bay Area has lead the country in adopting the Sharing Economy and in recognizing its social, environmental, and economic benefits. Many new sharing businesses have headquartered in the Bay Area, making the city an incubator for new business models that create jobs, empower citizens, and creates a more robust community.
Considered to be the next billion dollar industry, the Sharing Economy can help Bay Area residents maintain a high quality of life while living in the hub of the most expensive city in the country. Individuals and businesses across the socio-economic spectrum are able to access new economic opportunities by monetizing their underutilized assets.
Conversely, those who need access to those assets can get them from their neighbors more affordably. A new service industry providing flexible jobs has also cropped up as a result. The impact of these services and new revenue streams on household budgets can be significant.
Innovative use of existing resources cultivates a more sustainable economy based on efficient use of resources. This kind of resource efficiency can significantly reduce waste and help San Franciscans maintain lighter environmental footprints. Sharing builds community and fills market gaps. The Sharing Economy gives citizens a sense of place and purpose in their neighborhoods, and connects them to where they live. This creates a more connected and resilient San Francisco that will be beneficial both now and in times of crisis.
The Sharing Economy is a popular way for individuals, governments and businesses to access goods and services in new and less expensive ways. Today people are bartering, lending, trading, gifting and swapping their homes, cars, power drills, skills and even extra time. Spurred by need and a shift in cultural values, and empowered by peer technologies and business models, the sharing economy is democratizing access to resources of all kinds - tangible assets, services, knowledge, capital, production technology, and decision making power.
In its many innovations - some old, some new - include car sharing, cooperatives, crowdfunding, ride sharing, coworking, open source software, participatory budgeting, and peer accommodation to name a few, the Sharing Economy provides an opportunity to explore how we can lead more connected, sustainable lives while benefitting the cities we inhabit.
BayShare members have already contributed to initiatives to improve the Bay Area such as participatory budgeting, democratizing access to production capacity and providing car sharing services and fleets to decrease the number of cars on the road, contributing environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to the city of San Francisco.
The Sharing Economy and the Bay Area local government have common goals: to increase resource efficiency, to create jobs and income, to build community, and to achieve zero-waste. There is a great opportunity to combine our efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Bay Area.
BayShare members have already contributed to initiatives to improve the Bay Area such as participatory budgeting, democratizing access to production capacity and providing car sharing services and fleets to decrease the number of cars on the road, contributing environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits to the city of San Francisco.The Sharing Economy and the Bay Area local government have common goals: to increase resource efficiency, to create jobs and income, to build community, and to achieve zero-waste. There is a great opportunity to combine our efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Bay Area.
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