This issue of the Monitor includes articles inspired by several anniversaries—the East Bay Regional Park District turns 65 this year, and ten years ago the Loma Prieta earthquake put seismic retrofits and new bridges on a fast track. In the year 2000 the League of Women Voters of the Bay Area will celebrate thirty-five years of working for regional solutions to Bay Area problems and twenty-five years of publishing the Bay Area Monitor, the only publication that deals comprehensively with regional agencies and issues.
Twenty-five years ago, residents of the San Francisco Bay were concerned about their quality of life. Local decisions about transportation and land use were having regional impacts which were becoming evident in declining air and water quality. The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area obtained funding for an effort called the Transportation Alternatives Project, designed to educate decisionmakers and the public about mechanisms for solving these regional problems.
In May 1975, LWVBA sent the first issue of its new publication to "interested governmental officials and citizens". It announced that the Bay Area Monitor would be a monthly publication devoted to reports about "governmental and citizen meetings at the local and regional level which pertain to air quality and transportation", based on reports by League members.
A facsimile of that first issue will be part of our January/February 2000 issue. We have other plans, inspired by our milestones and the turn of the century, to make this Silver Anniversary year a special one for the Monitor. They include a more detailed history of the Monitor and a tribute to some of the people who have been responsible for its success.
In late January or early February, an annual public event, Bay Area League Day, will have as its theme "The State of the Region", recognizing the need for a regional perspective in resolving problems of sprawl and the degradation of the quality of life in the Bay Area. After an overview of the existing structure and its shortfalls in attacking these problems, the program will feature speakers in the forefront of efforts to remedy the deficiencies.
After twenty-five years, our readers continue to tell us that they find the Monitor an important source of information about regional issues. This support and appreciation is responsible for the continued financial support from our agency partners. We appreciate all of you, and hope you will celebrate with us!
Leslie Stewart, Editor
A quote from the past:
"Historically, California, with the
worst air pollution problems in the nation, has also led the nation in
air-pollution control efforts. Federal standards and procedures were
based largely on California experience. . . In particular, the Bay
Area has a head start on air quality regulation and transportation
planning. It has a strong commitment to cleaning up polluted air, to
keeping clean air clean, and to planning for a balanced transportation
system."
-- Transportation and Air Pollution, LWVBA, 12/74.