Santa Clara County’s proposed transportation sales tax has been politically contentious. But the reality is, transportation investments have not kept up with job and population growth. Meanwhile, federal and state funding for transportation has declined. We will need better transportation infrastructure in order to enjoy continued prosperity and a high quality of life — and we’re going to have to make these investments locally.

Few low-income Californians will ever have the opportunity to live in a subsidized affordable housing unit. How do we help everyone else? A new paper from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office provides evidence that market-rate housing construction plays an important role for low-income households. The LAO’s data shows that urban counties nationwide with more housing construction had slower rent growth than California coastal cities.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on January 27 to mark the official opening of SPUR Oakland at 1544 Broadway. More than 500 people came by throughout the day to welcome SPUR to Oakland. We were proud to introduce our community-oriented space, one where Oakland residents can learn from one another and share ideas about the future of their city.

Located on San Francisco’s eastern edge, India Basin Shoreline Park is full of promise and begging for attention. The parks department and the Trust for Public Land have launched a design competition to help realize the park’s potential. The five finalists recently presented their design proposals at SPUR.