Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
Striving for Change with the League
Countless residents across the Bay Area and the nation are grief-stricken by the killing of George Floyd, but also unsure how to meet the challenge of channeling emotion into action. To help shed light on the importance of this work, the League of Women Voters has joined with many other voices to demand justice for Black lives and remind people about their role in holding state and local leaders accountable to their communities.
“The work of empowering voters and defending democracy is inherently tied to dismantling the systems of racism that have been built into our social structures over hundreds of years,” said Stephanie Doute, executive director of LWV California, in a June 3 statement. “The revolution will continue. It will continue on the streets. It will continue on the ballot. It will continue in the statehouse.”
Amid conversations about police, protests, and politics, it’s not only a good time to learn more about the issues but also a chance to get involved. LWV San Francisco has been working on reform of policing practices of the San Francisco Police Department and offers opportunities for citizens to join trainings for observing public meetings. It’s also co-sponsoring a June 25 event with history professor Martha Jones (author of the forthcoming book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All) and LWV California Board Director Maxine Anderson. The program will focus on diversity and division issues that not only complicated the suffrage movement throughout its history, but also have implications now. Register here.
Lastly, if you’ve never participated in a Black Lives Matter public protest but would like to, here are LWV recommendations you may find useful.
Flood of Meetings
Valley Water is hosting virtual public meetings in June about the Coyote Creek flood protection project, which extends nine miles from Montague Expressway to Tully Road. The project will help reduce flooding risk to homes, schools, businesses, and highways in the Coyote Creek floodplain, an area unprepared for record flooding that occurred in February 2017. The district has its first meeting tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. for the Golden Wheel, Riverbend, and South Bay mobile home park communities. Additional meetings are scheduled for June 11 and 17. Click here to join or watch live on Facebook @SCVWD.
North Bay Transit Planning
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District wants to hear from bus and ferry riders about their expected travel needs to help plan service during the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Board the bus and ferry surveys through June 12. Separately, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials surveyed riders last month about proposed budget reductions to help inform decisions about its service and schedule going forward. Read the survey results here ahead of a June 17 meeting in which the board is expected to adopt its annual budget.
Headquarters Move
After 115 years in San Francisco, PG&E is moving its headquarters across the Bay to Oakland beginning in 2022. The new digs at 300 Lakeside Drive are part of broader changes that PG&E is making to benefit customers and save money. PG&E is in the final phase of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, driven by liabilities from wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that were caused by its equipment. Savings from lower headquarters costs will “tangibly benefit our customers financially,” according to a press release. PG&E also will ask for the California Public Utilities Commission’s approval to return the net gain realized upon the future sale of its San Francisco headquarters to its customers.
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