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TransportationTraffic congestion and smog are getting worse, and must be addressed. Those who do not or cannot drive become more isolated as development sprawls out, and farms and open space are destroyed. Support "smart growth" to develop housing (including affordable housing), schools, jobs and services in pedestrian-friendly styles that are accessible by transit and bicycle.People would use transit if it were more reliable and convenient. But as long as our transportation funds are skewed toward automobiles, we are forced into our cars. It is time to re-adjust the balance between public and private transit. It is also time to have car drivers pay the true cost of driving, including the cost of building roads and mitigating pollution, so that Californians may make a more accurate comparison between alternate modes of transportation. Camejo's Debate Response: How would you reduce traffic congestion?"Traffic congestion cannot be dealt without slowing population growth or long-term planning on organizing our cities better and establishing mass transportation, getting fuel cell going in cars and reducing the size of cars. There�s a whole series of steps. This is not a simplistic problem as if we just say do B, it�ll all be solved. But Simon and Davis did one good thing, and that�s really laying out how this crisis in transportation is exploding. Those figures they gave on how our freeways have grown 30 percent but our usage has grown 140 percent, that�s a plan for disaster to continue without dealing with this issue."Housing & Smart GrowthCreate a program to help first time homebuyers with down payments, and help people find, and afford, housing near their jobs.We need to make it possible for working people to afford to buy their own homes. Consider a program like the one in New Zealand, in which the government helps people get started on home ownership. A living wage must be part of any realistic housing program. So must inclusionary zoning.
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