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Weekly Updates
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November 2, 2011 Vol. 1. Issue 41
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Hello Friends,
We are excited to be bringing you this newsletter from Detroit, Michigan. Both Jonathan London and Michael Johnson are attending the PolicyLink Equity Summit 2011. It is a chance to both share and learn about regional change and to convene with leaders from all over the country dedicated to social equity.
Detroit is an oft maligned city with great potential, people, and food. It truly does not deserve the reputation it has been given and the more local heroes and leaders we meet, the more we realize that no place and no region is hopeless. Detroit is alive and the residents that we have met here is proud of their city and dedicated to its prosperity.
Once again, we hope that you find: insights, relevant news, and opportunities to be involved in regional change contained within this newsletter.
Best Wishes,
The Center for Regional Change.  
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CRC Activities
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CRC Director, Jonathan London presented, "Modeling and Mapping Social Equity in Regional Planning" yesterday at the 2011 PolicyLink Equity Summit in Detroit Michigan. The Summit brings together roughly 2,500 activists, researchers, practitioners, and government representatives to advance an equity agenda for the country. The presentation stressed the importance of: quantifying and integrating equity into regional planning and adding informed community participation into the process.
The CRC is set to release a report of its findings related to the three-year San Joaquin Valley Cumulative Health Impacts Project. The report will be unveiled Monday and the media as well as the public will have a chance to learn about its findings.
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| Special Reports on Regional Change | |
California faces a staggering $293.8 billion shortfall over the next decade to maintain its crumbling roads, outdated freeways and cash-strapped transit agencies. The California Transportation Commission's first review of state transportation needs since 1999 paints a scenario through 2020 that is beyond bleak and suggests that today's jammed and pothole-riddled roadways may one day seem like the good old days. Click here to read this report.
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| Regional Change in the News |
This week, the Sacramento City Council approved $100,000 in funding for emergency winter shelter to provide motel vouchers for homeless families, elderly and medically fragile or disabled persons who cannot stay in a shelter. In addition, the Sacramento Housing and Revelopment Agency (SHRA), will target $100,000 in Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing (HPRP) funds to provide short-term rental subsidies to help house 38-40 homeless households. Read more about this here.
Business profits and social justice are slowly merging in the harsh agricultural fields of California, as progressive new company-sponsored clinics emerge to provide direct healthcare to farm workers - including undocumented immigrants. Read the rest of this story here.
Community organizers, labor representatives and clergy are calling for city officials to emphasize better service over cuts to Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) personnel. They say it's time for bus riders to be included in the debate over hour-long wait times to board overcrowded buses. They join organizers in LA and other places demanding better service for bus riders. Click here to read more. The number of California teachers who have been accused of cheating, lesser misconduct or mistakes on standardized achievement tests has raised alarms about the pressure to improve scores. Click here for more information about this phenomenon. |
Upcoming Events
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Check out GYRE, Regarding a Tragedy of the Commons: Exhibition! It reveals the shocking facts of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, which is growing rapidly and now covers an area estimated as twice the size of the continental United States.
Join the Sacramento Sustainability Forum this month for the November Topic: SUSTAINABILITY of OUR FOOD & HEALTH--The Problems with Pesticides, Herbicides, and GMO v. The Benefits of Local, Organic Production and Our Health. The forum Features a presentation by Dr. Ignacio Chapela, UC Berkeley world renown microbial ecologist (featured in the movie "Future of Food"). Attend The Global Health & Innovation Conference. This is the world's largest global health and social entrepreneurship conference. This must-attend, thought-leading event annually convenes 2,200 leaders, changemakers, students, and professionals from all fields of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship.
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| Request for Proposals & Call for Papers | |
The William T. Grant Foundation is accepting Letters of Inquiry for its Investigator Initiated Grants program. The program is designed to support high-quality research projects that address the foundation's current
research interests - enhancing the understanding of how youth social settings work, how they affect youth development, and how they can be improved. Click here for more information.
The University of California Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS) seeks to encourage research projects relating to agricultural health and safety for Graduate Students and Faculty, including Cooperative Extension, Post-Graduate Researchers, and Post-Doctoral Fellows. Preference will be given to proposals addressing topical and important issues, such as farm worker injury prevention, immigration and work force, infectious diseases, and others. Click here for more details about this opportunity.
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Fellowships and Employment Opportunities
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The Skoll Foundation is hiring for an Assessment Officer. This is a hands-on producer role that also calls for excellent conceptualization, analytical and communication skills. The position chiefly entails recommending, negotiating, and tracking measures of success for individual grants/investments.The Officer will also collaborate with and contribute to the work of staff members across the organization.Click here for the full description.
The Climate Policy Initiative in San Francisco is looking for a Senior Analyst to provide analytical expertise and management for its global network, based out of its San Francisco office. This is a unique opportunity for someone with drive and adaptability to help develop the research foundation and approach of this dynamic, global startup. To get further details about this position, click here.
The Indiana Dept. of Forestry and Natural Resources seeks a Natural Resources Planning Extension Specialist. is responsible for continuing and expanding an extension and technology transfer program. Programming should empower communities and regions to make informed land use decisions that incorporate natural resource sustainability. Get more information by clicking here.
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