Welcome to Urban Habitat

Urban Habitat's Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute Information Sessions

Join us to learn about the nomination process for our 2012 cohort! Come hear how the BCLI has empowered and supported the next generation of advocate commissioners working for and representing the needs of low-income communities and communities of color, and learn about the nomination, interview, and selection process. Alumni will be on hand to answer your questions and share their experiences.

Oakland
February 16, 2012
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The California Endowment
1111 Broadway, 7th Floor

Richmond
February 29, 2012 
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 
Easter Hill United Methodist Church
3911 Cutting Boulevard

Berkeley
March 23, 2012
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. 
The Greenlining Institute
1918 University Avenue, 2nd Floor
 
San Francisco
March 30, 2012
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Eric Quesada Center for Culture & Politics
518 Valencia Street

RSVP to Riana Shaw Robinson at riana[@]urbanhabitat.org

ACTION ALERT! From Transit Riders for Public Transportation (TRPT)

Stop the assault on the public sector,
protect environmental justice and civil rights
in transportation funding.                 

SAY NO to H.R. 7 — TAKE ACTION NOW!

House Republican Committees voted last week to eviscerate transit in the federal transportation bill by eliminating the 20% share of dedicated funding for public transit and giving 100% of federal funds to roads and highways. This bill also targets our grassroots communities of color who make up the backbone of transit ridership across the country.

CALL your Congressional Representative and the Speaker of the House and tell them to vote NO on H.R. 7 (the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act) Contact Your Congressional Representative: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Contact Speaker Boehner: Phone: (202) 225-0600 Fax: (202) 225-5117

The City of El Cerrito Environmental Quality Committee Presents: The New Metropolis, Building a Sustainable and Healthy Bay Area in the Age of Global Warming

Saturday, February 4, 2012,10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Program starts at Rialto Cinemas Cerrito
10070 San Pablo Avenue. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Come to a FREE SHOWING of this documentary about America’s "first suburbs and join in the community dialog. It will bring together policy makers and community members to discuss strategies for urban and suburban revitalization and environmental sustainability in the Bay Area.

The New Metropolis illustrates how many of America’s original suburbs are now facing crisis: a dwindling tax base, population and business loss, decaying infrastructure, increased demographic tensions and middle class !ight. Hear from award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice, local political leaders and other guest speakers in a discussion about local responses to the topics raised in the film.

Torrice will show segments from her recent PBS series, The New Metropolis, as well as premiere a new segment about the Bay Area, including a clip on Urban Habitat and Pleasanton. 

Following the screening join the community discussion at Nong Thon restaurant at 10086 San Pablo Avenue.

Please RSVP to 510-215-4350 or green@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us

Help us Win Free Transit for Youth in San Francisco Now: Click here and Sign the Petition! 

Thanks,
Bob & Lindsay 

Petition: Support Free Public Transportation for Youth

Young people are having a harder and harder time getting around San Francisco—getting to school, after school programs, jobs, volunteer activities, museums and parks. Major cuts to the yellow school bus program have forced school-age children to find their own way of getting to school—and a youth Fast Pass costs more than twice what it did two years ago. Young people who cannot afford the rising cost of transportation risk getting a $100 fine if they ride the bus without paying the fare.

By Allen Fernandez Smith, President and CEO, Urban Habitat

Urban Habitat staff, board members, allies, and over 2000 equity advocates from across the country gathered recently at the Equity Summit 2011 convened by PolicyLink in Detroit. There, we saw firsthand the consequences of decades of displacement and disinvestment on such a proud city. We heard from an array of advocates and analysts about the challenges facing Detroit and numerous other regions across the country. We delved into the current economic crisis and saw how people of color—the fastest growing segment of U.S. population—are taking the hardest hits.

We came away better informed and energized to take on the daunting task of moving our nation toward a more fair distribution of resources and decision-making power, and into a more equitable growth agenda. (See RP&E 18-2) We are looking forward to sharing those discussions and advancing that agenda at the Social Equity Caucus' annual State of the Region Conference in the Bay Area in April 2012.