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Southern California Transit Advocates is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development and improvement of public transportation in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
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| Public and Legislative Affairs Committee By far, the largest amount of SO.CA.TA's efforts involve advocacy in the government sector. It comes as no surprise, then, that our Public and Legislative Affairs Committee (PLAC) is the most active part of our organization. PLAC coordinates and guides SO.CA.TA's public advocacy via campaigns, media relations, coalition building and interactions with decision makers promoting our policy analysis. Over time, SO.CA.TA has become more visible and a key player in the regional opinion making process. We routinely attend (and comment at) the Board and committee meetings of Metro each month; we do likewise at the meetings of other agencies' governing bodies when critical decisions are being made. We also hold a seat on the steering committee of the region's primary transportation conference, Mobility 21. In keeping with SO.CA.TA's goals for a truly regional, multimodal transportation system, PLAC constantly identifies key issues, by gathering information and analyzing it to determine what the most important issues are in our region, and identifying those we can have a reasonable chance of affecting. (Click on the "Statements" link at the left for some of our recent positions and individual member statements.) We also network with other community, environmental, and transportation organizations to help build a consensus in the region. In addition, PLAC serves as our primary contact to the media. We have worked hard to build trust and credibility with reporters as a source of information and opinion on transit-related matters. That same credibility has resulted in higher visibility as PLAC writes letters to the editor and op-ed articles on public transportation issues; the name Southern California Transit Advocates often appears in the editorial sections of our region's newspapers or as the source of quotes in news articles. Our advocacy includes contacting elected officials, both in writing and in person, to communicate our opinions on pending decisions. We have taken positions on many transportation-related legislative measures over the years, and our name is well-known in the halls of the State Capitol in Sacramento among lawmakers and their staff. All of our outreach efforts -- such as our booths at openings of major transit lines and facilities, and at environmental events with a focus on transportation -- are coordinated by PLAC. Our ongoing campaign to build public support for the Wilshire Blvd. subway extension, including education on how individual members of the public can effectively lobby their elected officials, has received a considerable amount of attention. We also are responsible for the SO.CA.TA Speaker Series, where each month's public meeting is preceded by a guest speaker from a transit agency or related industry. The monthly PLAC column and Metro Board report are prominent features in each month's Transit Advocate newsletter, where we have a reputation for ferreting out otherwise overlooked items concerning our region's transportation agencies and decision-making. (Another good reason to become a SO.CA.TA member if you aren't already one!) PLAC also creates most of the content for our website. Co-Chairs:
Public and Legislative Affairs Resources These resource listings are compiled by PLAC for the education of and use by the public and may be reproduced or linked to, with attribution. Comments, suggestions and additions may be e-mailed to Dana Gabbard. Other Public Transportation Advocacy Organizations Rail Passenger Association of California (RailPAC) Train Riders Association of California (TRAC) These two groups advocate for improved rail (Amtrak and commuter services) throughout California. Historically, TRAC focuses on Northern California (Bay Area), and RailPAC is more concerned with Southern California. TransitPeople Auto-Free Orange County Modern Transit Society Bay Rail Alliance Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers (DVARP) National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) Transport 2000 Canada |