Riding from San Francisco to Humboldt on mostly carfree trails will be a gorgeous possibility if the Great Redwood Trail is built as envisioned by Senate Bill 1029, introduced by Senator Mike McGuire. CalBike strongly supports SB 1029.

The trail would use the unused right-of-way of the North Coast Railroad under the direction of the Great Redwood Trail Agency that is created by SB 1029 to take over control from the North Coast Rail Authority. The northern segment of the trail, from Arcata to Willits, will be temporarily transferred to the state Department of Transportation who will begin the process of cataloging property easements and advancing environmental work before passing control to the Great Redwood Trail Agency.

It will take a while, but someday we’ll be able to pedal through the redwoods safely distracted by their beauty, not worrying about drivers unsafely distracted on narrow roads.

Vote for Christy Smith for Assembly

The incumbent was no friend to bicycling as Mayor Pro Tem of Santa Clarita and in the Assembly reliably voted against our bills to improve bike safety. He wants to use gas tax money to widen roads instead of maintaining them. He deserves to be defeated by Christy Smith who scored an impressive A for excellent on our questionnaire.

Assembly District 38 serves northern Los Angeles County extending from Simi Valley to Santa Clarita. This part of the state, with its sprawling suburbs and major freeways, poses extra challenges for active transportation given overwhelming automobile dependence. Given that context, that is why we are further impressed by Christy Smith and her transportation platform that centers public transit, biking, and walking in meeting our state’s environmental sustainability, public health and social equity goals. Christy Smith is clearly making it priority to serve all residents of her district, including low-income populations that are often marginalized, especially in suburban areas. In her questionnaire responses she “absolutely supports prioritizing low-income and working communities and believe we need to update our infrastructure funding and land use models to incorporate residents that walk, bike, and utilize public transit”. That is the type of change we can get behind for AD 38.

The rest of Christy’s questionnaire responses are impressive for its breadth and depth of knowledge. For these reasons, we are excited to see Christy emerge as a prominent challenger in the AD 38 race, and we look forward to seeing her provide the leadership needed to work toward safer and more sustainable transportation alternatives for all of the district’s residents.

This election year we have a chance not just to improve transportation policy, but to improve the transportation policymakers who represent us in state government. We are endorsing a handful of great candidates on the June primary ballot. For the general election we will endorse in many more.

The following candidates were chosen because they showed a deep commitment to bicycling and transportation justice in their answers to our questionnaire. You can see the questionnaire here. We are also endorsing two positions on ballot measures.

2018 California Ballot Propositions:

Vote Yes to parks, water, and natural resources; Vote Yes on Prop 68.

Vote Yes to using transportation taxes for transportation projects. Vote Yes on prop 69.

Join us in Voting No on Prop 70 and help our state fight climate change and corporate interests.

Vote for Gayle McLaughlin for Lieutenant Governor.

McLaughlin’s platform reads like a bicycle advocates’ dream. She gets the importance of bicycling as a component of sustainable transportation and a more socially just society, and has a track record as the Mayor of Richmond to back up her claims. With McLaughlin as Lieutenant Governor, we’ll have an ally who will have our back no matter how bold our demands. Learn more.

District Races:

AD 38 – Simi Valley, Santa Clarita – Vote for Christy Smith.

The incumbent was no friend to bicycling as Mayor Pro Tem of Santa Clarita and in the Assembly reliably voted against our bills to improve bike safety. He wants to use gas tax money to widen roads instead of maintaining them. He deserves to be defeated by Christy Smith who scored an impressive A for excellent on our questionnaire. Learn more.

AD 76 – Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas – Vote for Tasha Boerner Horvath.

Comprised of cities that have recently become bike-friendly leaders in San Diego County that deserve to be represented by a legislator who supports bikes. That representative is Tasha Boerner Horvath, the only candidate who attended a recent public forum on bicycling and who also scored an impressive ‘A’ on our survey. Learn more.

SD 22 – San Gabriel Valley – Vote for Mike Eng.

One of two bike-friendly candidates for this seat, Mike Eng deserves your vote for his commitment not just to bicycling but to the related issues around air pollution and affordable housing that make life easier for people who ride bikes. Learn more.

Yes on Prop 68.

Although it’s not obvious from its title, the Parks, Environment and Water Bond includes major funding opportunities for trails, walking, and biking. Many millions of dollars will be available for trails not just in remote parks but connecting the destinations we try to reach every day. Vote Yes on 68.

Yes on Prop 69.

As part of the deal that won 2/3 vote on SB-1, the $5.2 billion annual transportation funding package, including $100 million each year for biking and walking projects, the legislators promised to include this measure to ensure those funds went only to transportation projects. “Transportation projects” includes biking and walking improvements (of course), so this is a good measure.

No No No on Prop. 70.

Prop 70 was put on the ballot under pressure from climate change deniers, as well as auto and petroleum interests. This proposition will sabotage California’s landmark cap-and-trade greenhouse gas emission reduction plan, which funds efforts to stop global warming, including substantial funds for bicycling. Vote No on Prop 70.

We also graded the candidates in Assembly districts 9, 15, 16, and 72 and in Senate districts 12 and 24 but after consideration chose not to make an endorsement.

We’ll release detailed grades and survey responses as we introduce you to our endorsees over Bike Month!