Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
Get with the Program Planning
Several Leagues are holding annual program planning meetings, offering a chance for members to help choose advocacy priorities at the local and state level. First up is the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany & Emeryville on January 30 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The LWV of Palo Alto, LWV of San Francisco, and LWV of Napa County follow on February 6 with their respective planning efforts, each beginning at 10 a.m. “Advocacy is a key League activity year-round,” reminded the Napa group in its program event information. So seize the opportunity to help decide which issues should receive time and resources. Not a League member? Consider registering for the meetings and see how these groups work. Or find your local League and learn about what it’s working on.
Transit Job Transitions
Nuria Fernandez (pictured) has been named deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, joining the Biden-Harris Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation. She left her post as general manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority — positions she held for seven years — effective January 19. Evelynn Tran has been named interim general manager/CEO while a national search is organized. San José Spotlight reported on the recruitment process and regional implications of Fernandez’s and other transitions in a January 22 article. Jim Hartnett, head of the San Mateo County Transit District, which oversees Caltrain and SamTrans, announced last month that he’s stepping down on April 21.
Refining the Rules
The Air District is asking for public feedback on efforts to reduce particulate matter emissions from petroleum refineries. To spur thoughts, it’s organized a virtual public workshop on February 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. that’ll focus on developing draft amendments to “Regulation 6 Rule 5: Particulate Emissions from Refinery Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCUs).” FCCUs are some of the largest sources of particulate matter emissions in the Bay Area. The Air District continues to evaluate efforts to control these emissions, per the 2017 Clean Air Plan and Assembly Bill 617. It will post materials about earlier draft amendments before the workshop.
Conserving Open Space
Andrea Mackenzie (pictured), Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority’s general manager, will join experts from California and France to discuss the importance of agricultural and natural open spaces conservation during a webinar Thursday, January 28 at 9 a.m. This webinar is the first in a series showing how conservation contributes to sustainable management and helps build climate change resilience in urban communities. It’ll also touch upon public policy design and its implementation.
Monitor Notes is produced by Cecily O’Connor. To receive it by email, scroll to the bottom of this page, enter your email address in the box under “RECEIVE EMAIL UPDATES,” and click the red “SIGN UP” button.