Governor Brown freezes funding for Safe Routes to School

Sacramento – In an unexpected move late in the day on Monday, June 10, the Legislature took action on a budget deal recommended by the Governor to put a hold on funding for the popular and effective Safe Routes to School program.

The Conference Committee decision came as a surprise to advocates, who had been assured by prior budget decisions that there would be continuation of existing Safe Routes to School funding through June of 2014. Advocates repeatedly met with and expressed interest in working with the Administration on creating an effective Active Transportation Program structure that would at a minimum maintain the best aspects of the existing programs.  Further discussions were to take place this summer in order to adopt a new program for the next year.  The move on Monday pushes discussion and adoption of the new Active Transportation Program to all happen this summer.

Please take action now to save Safe Routes to School in California. Sign up to join our legislative update webinar on June 17th and make a donation to support the Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s advocacy efforts in California.

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Upcoming webinar: Legislative update on Safe Routes to School in California

Join us on June 17 at 10 AM PT: Register Today 

Several state legislative and budget actions have kept the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and statewide partners in California very busy this spring:

1. The proposed Active Transportation Program in the state budget might result in consolidation of Safe Routes to School into a larger program.
2. Assembly bill 1194 protects Safe Routes to School from consolidation and creates one streamlined state program out of previously separate state and federal programs.
3. Cap-and-trade revenue in the budget could flow to walking and bicycling projects if the legislature opts to allocate a portion of the first year’s auction proceeds.

See our recent blog for a quick update on the latest progress of these activities, and attend a webinar on June 17 at 10am for a more thorough update. Bring your questions and concerns about the future of Safe Routes to School funding in California for a lively discussion following the presentation by National Partnership staff and others. Please register in advance for this webinar.

DETAILS: Monday June 17, 2013 10-11am 

Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4538773355156978688 

Call-in details will be emailed with your registration confirmation.

News from the Capitol: AB-1194 passes Assembly!

The last week saw some major progress toward protecting Safe Routes to School in the California Legislature.

Assembly Bill 1194 (Ammiano) passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee 13-0 on Friday and went straight to a vote on the Assembly floor today, passing again by an overwhelming 76-2 (with two no-votes coming from republicans Tim Donnelly of Twin Peaks and Shannon Grove of Bakersfield). Also last week, the Governor’s proposal for an Active Transportation Program, which would consolidate Safe Routes to School funding into a larger competitive program without clarity on how SRTS projects would fare, was denied by the Assembly and Senate budget subcommittees. Members in both houses of the Legislature and on both sides of the aisle demonstrated broad support for ensuring California communities continue to receive Safe Routes to School funding.

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Assemblymember Richard Pan highlights need for Safe Routes

Last Friday, Assemblymember Richard Pan joined with WALKSacramento, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, staff from the Elk Grove Unified School District and the principal, parents, and students of Anna Kirchgater Elementary School in South Sacramento to conduct a walk audit of the road conditions around the school.  Kirchgater Elementary is the recipient of a Safe Routes to School grant that will install sidewalks on a very busy arterial route to school where children currently walk in a ditch to avoid the high speed traffic near the school.  Dr. Pan spoke to the parents and students, as well as neighboring community members, about their safety concerns on the roads near the school as they walked the worst section to see the conditions first-hand.

Dr. Pan also highlighted the importance of protecting and continuing funding for the state Safe Routes to School Program, which is currently threatened by a proposal by Governor Jerry Brown.  This spring, the Governor’s budget proposes to eliminate dedicated funding for Safe Routes to School at a time when the program continues to be desperately needed in communities across California.  Assembly Bill 1194, which Dr. Pan co-authors, will ensure that Safe Routes to School continues in California and is up for vote on the Assembly floor this week.

Summary of the walk audit with Dr. Pan on WALKSacramento’s website: http://www.walksacramento.org/2013/05/assemblymember-richard-pan-supports-safe-routes-to-school/

Call for Safe Routes student drawings!

TARC, the SRTS Technical Assistance Resource Center, is conducting a CALL FOR STUDENT DRAWINGS from 4th and 5th graders to illustrate the California Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Curriculum. The Curriculum, nearly complete, is designed for grades 4 and 5 and consists of nine lesson plans that are aligned with the new national Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Math, as well as the California Health Education Content Standards. Student art will be selected for the curriculum graphics.

Selected drawings will also be displayed during the Safe Routes to School National Conference, August 13-15, 2013.

Drawings should be related to Safe Routes to School, and can include drawings of favorite physical activities, children on bicycles wearing helmets, traffic signs, children walking to school, safety slogans, and more.

Please submit scanned drawings to Lisa Rawson by May 31, 2013 – Lisa.Rawson@cdph.ca.gov.

Please note: drawings will be selected by staff from the California Active Communities Unit at the California Department of Public Health. There is no monetary or other prize award associated with this call.

55 Organizations ask Governor Brown for 15% of Cap-and-Trade for active transportation!

A letter to Governor Brown this week, signed by 55 organizations in California, requested that 15% of transportation-related cap-and-trade auction revenues be dedicated to walking and bicycling programs.

The California Air Resources Board released its three year Draft Investment Plan (DIP) on April 16, which outlines a proposal for how California should spend revenues generated by Cap-and-Trade. Thanks to the countless voices that have pledged their support for active transportation, the plan lists Safe Routes to School and the Bicycle Transportation Account as eligible recipients for this funding!  In mid-May, Governor Jerry Brown’s administration will outline in the May Revise of the state Budget allocations for cap-and-trade revenue to specific projects and programs.

A sign-on letter lead by the California Bicycle Coalition, California WALKS, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership with supporting signatures from 52 other organizations was sent to the Governor’s office this week.  The letter outlined the importance of active transportation infrastructure to encouraging reduction of car vehicle-miles traveled and resulting greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as other safety, health, and community co-benefits.  Based on the great potential of walking and bicycling to contribute to sustainable communities in California, the letter recommended that at least 15% of transportation-related cap-and-trade revenues be invested in Safe Routes to School, the Pedestrian Transportation Account, and the Bicycle Transportation Account.

Stay tuned for an update on whether the Administration took these concerns to heart when the May budget revise is released in two weeks.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY – Highway Safety Improvement Program

Caltrans has released the cycle 6 call for projects for the Highway Safety Improvement Program.  $150 million will be awarded during this call, up to a maximum of $3 million per applicant agency.  Safe Routes to School projects are eligible under this call, including non-infrastructure elements, and this is likely to be the only opportunity this year to receive funding from Caltrans for Safe Routes to School projects.  Applications are due by July 26, 2013. More details are available on the Caltrans website.

ACTION ALERT: AB-1194 Letter of support needed by May 22!

Send a letter of support for the Safe Routes to School bill AB-1194!

AB-1194, which would maintain level funding, a state SRTS coordinator, and the Technical Assistance Resource Center for the Safe Routes to School program, passed the Assembly Transportation Committee unanimously on April 15.  Now the bill is waiting for votes in the Assembly Appropriations Committee for passage to the Assembly Floor, and WE NEED YOUR ORGANIZATION’S SUPPORT TODAY!

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