Transportation Justice Conference

The Transportation Justice Conference is back! Our last conference was before the pandemic.

We're pleased to have three guests from the Bay Area to inspire us with examples of prioritizing transit, safe streets and fighting displacement of low income residents. We'll be serving lunch, which will be a time for us to connect to each other in small groups.

REGISTER HERE for this free event:
https://sustainabletransportation.eventsmart.com/events/transportation-justice-conference-2/

PROGRAM:

9:15 Register & snacks

9:40am

Welcoming remarks on the state of sustainable transportation in SC County, with Rick Longinotti, Chair, Campaign for Sustainable Transportation

10 am

Prioritize Transit

Prior to the pandemic, METRO ridership had dropped 25% from 1990. How do we prioritize transit in our community and in our funding?

Zack Deutsch-Gross is Policy Director of Transform, an organization that advocates for walkable communities with excellent transportation.

Responders:

Michael Tree is CEO of Santa Cruz METRO

Lani Faulkner is founder of Equity Transit

11:15am

Safe Streets First

Watsonville has the worst injuries to child pedestrians of any city in the state. Santa Cruz is at or near the worst in injuries to bicyclists. Should we prioritize spending to make our streets safe?

Justin Hu-Nguyen is Co-Executive Director for Mobility Justice of Bike East Bay. Previously Justin served as Director of Advocacy for San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

Responders:

Debbie Bulger has advocated for pedestrian safety for three decades as Director of Mission: Pedestrian in Santa Cruz

Theresia Rogerson works for County Public Health implementing Vision Zero policies

12:15 pm Lunch & Small Group Discussions (veggie & vegan options)

1:30 pm

Transit Oriented Development Without Displacement

The Urban Displacement Project of UCLA and UC Berkeley found that in areas around transit stations populations were becoming whiter, more educated, wealthier, and that rents were increasing. As Santa Cruz County plans rail transit and intensified development on transit corridors, how can we avoid the unintended consequences of gentrification?

Fernando Martí was Director of San Francisco's Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO) from 2010 to 2022. CCHO led the advocacy effort that resulted in the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passing the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), which entitles nonprofits the first right to purchase residential buildings that are for sale. Fernando was a founding member of the San Francisco Community Land Trust, and currently serves on the City's Housing Stability Fund Oversight Board and the Public Bank Reinvestment Working Group. Fernando has degrees in architecture and urban planning from UC Berkeley.

Responders:

Felipe Hernandez, County Supervisor

Zav Hershfield works at Tenant Sanctuary counseling service in Santa Cruz

Julian Crown, UCSC student working on anti-displacement study


Location Info:
Take the 71 bus to the stop at Freedom Blvd and McDonald Rd. The 71 bus leaves the downtown SC Metro station at 8:45 AM, and arrives at Freedom and MacDonald at about 9:18 AM. That stop is about 0.1 mile from the Unitarian Church.

Location Accessibility: Wheelchair, Restrooms, Parking

Admission: No Charge
RSVP: N/A