Comments for UCLA Extension Public Policy Program Blog

Comment on H2 uh-0h: The Reality of Water Scarcity in Southern California by dani talks earth day | two evil actors

dani talks earth day | two evil actors — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:03:19 +0000

[...] so the water situation in LA is downright bleak as well. We treat the little water we have (Los Angeles is a coastal desert that is draining the Colorado River for water) with no respect. [...]

Comment on Shelter for the Storm: Comparing Blue and Green Roofs by Researching public safety

Researching public safety — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:12:42 +0000

Nice experiment! Thanks for helping us all out by reporting your findings.

Comment on It Takes A Village: The Surprising Number of Agencies Behind The Design Of LA’s Streets by unexpubpol

unexpubpol — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:28:38 +0000

I completely agree. We had someone in the office here who was from a smaller town in Michigan, and while his intellectual passion was for alternative (biking) and public transportation, there was none to be found.

Comment on The Parking Games: San Francisco Wants the Odds to be Ever in Your Favor by unexpubpol

unexpubpol — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:27:03 +0000

I’ve been able to find articles that say that SF business owners have vehemently opposed the new prices – but the program is too new to yield results that would confirm whether or not consumers are being driven away. However, while researching for this post, I read about this specific issue in Donald Shoup’s book “The High Cost of Free Parking”. There is a section in the book that compares the parking models of the city of Pasadena to the city of Westwood – that being, a comparison of Pasadena’s higher street parking prices and lower garage parking prices, versus Westwood’s lower priced street parking, one affordable garage, and many high-priced lots. By chance, I am from Pasadena, but live near and work in Westwood, so can say from experience that Pasadena’s parking is better by leaps and bounds (I use public transportation almost exclusively to get around on the Westside). Shoup’s wrote that a “parking study in 1994 found that the curb-space occupancy rate was 96% [in Westwood] during peak hours…Nevertheless, the city reduced meter rates from $1 to 50 cents an hour in response to merchants and property owners’ pleas that cheaper curb parking would stimulate business.” The reality, which has unfolded over the last 20 years, is that Westwood’s $1 per hour street parking has just translated to people fighting for spots, circling, creating a massive amount of pollution, and if a spot can’t be found, resorting to a high-priced lot or leaving altogether. Now, your question requires a much more nuanced answer than I can definitively give, but I hope this information helps. SF’s new program is not perfect by any means, but while it may seem counter-intuitive, it has a good chance of yielding better results than models like Westwood’s. It may also give people more incentive to prioritize their trips, use their cars more efficiently, and utilize public transportation. I highly recommend reading Shoup’s book if you are interested in transportation.

Comment on Walk Score: How an Online Tool is Changing the Way We Think About “Walkability” by Walkable Neighborhoods = Higher Property Values | West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:10:01 +0000

[...] Walk Score: How an Online Tool is Changing the Way We Think About “Walkability” (uclaextensionppp.wordpress.com) [...]

Comment on It Takes A Village: The Surprising Number of Agencies Behind The Design Of LA’s Streets by klugo1215

klugo1215 — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 04:29:04 +0000

Sadly the bureaucracy isn’t just limited to world-class cities. Here in Gettysburg it took almost a decade to get a short, simple bike lane due to multiple stakeholders: the local school district, municipality, PennDOT, National Park Service, and couple more.

Comment on The Parking Games: San Francisco Wants the Odds to be Ever in Your Favor by klugo1215

klugo1215 — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 04:23:33 +0000

I’m not from San Francisco, but I’ve been studying transportation issues and I am curious what concerns businesses owners have raised about this program. Despite it being likely that vehicular customers are in the minority, business owners in the higher priced areas could see it as an inequitable setback to their business by discouraging customers from parking in these areas. Have such concerns been raised?

Comment on Bike…To The Future!: How Cycling Infrastructure is Making a Comeback in LA by If riding to work can save your life, when will employers pony up? « Decompress This!

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:06:56 +0000

[...] Bike…To The Future!: How Cycling Infrastructure is Making a Comeback in LA (uclaextensionppp.wordpress.com) [...]

Comment on Is Sustainability a Scam? by Breaking Up Is Hard To Do « UCLA Extension Public Policy Program Blog: The Stuff You Might Have Missed

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:25:26 +0000

[...] Is Sustainability a Scam [...]

Comment on AB32 Gets Political by 23 vs 32 « UCLA Extension Public Policy Program Blog: The Stuff You Might Have Missed

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:56:48 +0000

[...] It is anticipated that much of this debate will play out in the race for Governor of California between former eBay CEO Meg Whitman and Attorney General Jerry Brown. See where the candidates stand. [...]