Government / Politics

As all law-abiding cyclists know, one must ride with, not against the traffic, even if you are Alec Baldwin. The actor was arrested for the violation, plus a few additional things, like not having ID, that made matters worse.

May 16, 2014 - The New York Times

After a resounding defeat to Proposition 1, a countywide measure that would have raised fees and taxes to address an ongoing budget deficit at King County Metro Transit, Seattle is scrambling to find the money to preserve local bus routes.

May 15, 2014 - KUOW

Plenty, according to Tanya Snyder, Streetsblog USA editor, who finds Obama's Grow America plan far superior. Outside of not including a gas tax to fill the Trust Fund gap, she finds the proposal "underfunded and highway centric." She is not alone.

May 15, 2014 - Streetsblog USA

The bill to reauthorize the current surface transportation law, "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century", a.k.a. MAP-21, was released on Monday and will be "marked up" on Thursday. Spending is kept at current levels of $50 billion a year.

May 13, 2014 - Bloomberg News

Last Thursday, House and Senate leaders announced agreement on an $8.2 billion waterways infrastructure bill, and if they have their way, it won't be their last major agreement. On Monday, a successor highway bill (to MAP-21) will be released.

May 13, 2014 - The Hill

A local Tea Party type is making a passionate pitch for what his group considers Constitutional guarantees against government planning, and I get this deju vu tug. I’ve been here before. I’VE BEEN THIS BEFORE.

May 12, 2014 - PlaceShakers

A bi-partisan Senate bill to dramatically reduce carbon emissions by increasing energy efficiency got caught-up in Keystone XL pipeline politics, while President Barak Obama pursued his own energy efficiency agenda at a Walmart in Mtn. View, Calif.

May 12, 2014 - NPR

Shannon Mattern argues that as we enter the era of so-called “smart” cities, we need to consider the point of engagement where citizens interface with the city’s operating system.

May 11, 2014 - Places Journal

If Congress can't agree how to fund the Highway Trust Fund shortfall, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx warned state DOTs that he will be unable to reimburse them for funds already spent. The redline is the $4 billion mark projected to come July.

May 11, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - Politics and Policy

A California state law that allowed temporary property tax reductions to homeowners during the housing crash is now swinging back the other way. Some homeowners have seen 20 percent increases in property tax bills.

May 10, 2014 - Capitol Alert (Sacramento Bee blog)

Beset by a large budget deficit and overwhelming poverty, Newark's local government services director has warned that the city might require state supervision.

May 9, 2014 - Al Jazeera America

Recent commenters have described cities as the locus for a new type of liberalism that benefits a broader swath of demographics. Dissenters wonder whether certain progressive cities, enabled by privilege, are merely drivers of inequality.

May 9, 2014 - New York Times

The GOP-backed 2015 Appropriations Bill would cut funding for TIGER grants, historically a friend to cities and metro areas looking for funding for multi-modal programs, and make it, essentially, a roads program.

May 8, 2014 - Streetsblog USA

If President Obama is waging a "war on coal," as his critics claim, then Europe must be enjoying a love affair with America's high-carbon fossil fuel, and the most polluting variety at that. How could the world's greenest continent turn so brown?

May 8, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

Impact investing isn't just a new source of funding for nonprofits from the private sector. The government can (and should!) be a catalyst in shaping the market through policies that support investments with a greater social impact.

May 7, 2014 - Shelterforce

According to an opinion piece by Mimi Zeiger, "urban magistrates are appearing more frequently as personas on the architectural scene as designers tackle questions of the fate of the city." What can design-savvy mayors offer architects?

May 7, 2014 - Dezeen

A pair of articles from the Dallas Morning News examine the inequities of property tax rates in Texas. Under the current system, commercial property owners in Dallas County "shaved more than $4.8 billion off preliminary tax appraisals."

May 6, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

For the third time since 2000, the federal government has issued a National Climate Assessment, as mandated by Congress in 1990, to “understand, assess, predict, and respond" to climate change. The report was approved by President Obama on Tuesday.

May 6, 2014 - The New York Times

To address the growth of commute traffic to the Google campus and neighboring tech companies in the north (of Hwy. 101) part of this city of 74,000 in Silicon Valley, the city council is proposing a toll on all three road entrances to the area.

May 6, 2014 - Mountain View Voice

Toyota's April 30th announcement that it would take its headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas is proof-positive that California's high regulatory, high tax, and high cost of living environment is unfriendly to business. Or is it?

May 5, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S. News