Contact: Chanell Fletcher, ClimatePlan Executive Director, 510-695-1009 (cell)

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – ClimatePlan supports Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious announcement today. ClimatePlan believes this announcement, coupled with strong implementation of previous Executive Orders, will put California on the right track to reduce emissions from the transportation sector -- which is needed because transportation is the single largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in California. 

More will be needed both to address the climate crisis and racial injustice. 

August 14, 2020

Press Contact: Chanell Fletcher, Executive Director of ClimatePlan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 510-695-1009

Oakland, CA -- Today, ClimatePlan announces a new report  - Overarching Principles for Land Use and Water Integration in the San Francisco Bay Area - that provides an overview of water and land-use integration in the Bay Area. The report details how land-use and water decision-making are separated, current challenges to integrating land-use and water within transportation planning, and what needs to be done to integrate these two elements.

The following letter was sent to California Transportation Commission (CTC) Commissioner Hillary Norton and Mitch Weiss, Executive Director of the CTC, ahead of the August 12, 2020 CTC meeting. 

As many of you may know, over the past year, ClimatePlan has been working with Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to equitably integrate water into Plan Bay Area 2050.  Through the Community Foundation Water Initiative (CFWI), ClimatePlan has also been working with five other non-profits across the state to advance statewide recommendations that address the gap between land-use and water.

From these efforts, we are excited to announce the release of two things, 

• New report: Overarching Principles for Land Use and Water Integration in the San Francisco Bay Area 
• Virtual Policy Briefing: Ensuring Equitable Public Engagement in Coordinated Planning

At ClimatePlan, we understand that we need policy change at all levels--local, regional, state, and federal--if we want to create real lasting change. As we advance policies that address the intersection of land use, transportation, housing, and climate, we know that much more is needed to address the challenges our nation faces, including a pandemic, an economic recession, and a reckoning against systemic racism and oppression. Starting this month, we will be interviewing our partners and allies to discuss policies they are advancing that can help us create a healthier, sustainable, and more equitable future for all. 

The Green New Deal came to mind as a comprehensive piece of legislation that could address so many of the issues we’re looking to tackle. We talked with Sylvia Chi, Policy Director at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), to hear about the work of the California Green New Deal Coalition, the status of a Green New Deal in California, and how folks can get involved in supporting a California Green New Deal.