September 16, 2010

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger

Governor, State of California
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: AB 2147 (V.M. Perez), Safe Routes to School – Request for Signature

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

On behalf of Ubuntu Green, I am writing to respectfully request your signature on AB 2147 (V.M. Perez),
Safe Routes to School. AB 2147 complements the directives set forth by your administration earlier this
year by ensuring that all of California’s children, including the most vulnerable, benefit from the very
successful Safe Routes to School program.

The obesity epidemic is devastating the health and livelihoods of children across the state. Low-income
children in particular are being impacted by this epidemic. Ensuring that children can safely walk and
bicycle to school is one way to address this priority. However, disadvantaged communities, particularly
those in unincorporated and rural areas, frequently lack even the most basic infrastructure, such as
sidewalks, storm drains and stoplights, making biking and walking unsafe.

The current application process is often difficult for unincorporated or low-capacity communities.
Existing public processes are not used to effectively gather community input on proposed projects and
ensure that community priorities and school transportation concerns are reflected in proposals. As a
result, schools that serve low-income students are frequently unable to enjoy the benefits of this
successful program.

AB 2147 would build on the success of the current statewide Safe Routes to School program by
prioritizing funding to low-income communities. AB 2147 would require Caltrans, in the grant
application review process, to consider a project’s benefit to low-income disadvantaged schools. In
addition, AB 2147 gives community residents a stronger role in the development of Safe Routes to School
project proposals by requiring applicants to demonstrate community engagement and how their project
proposal reflects community input. Finally, AB 2147 gives low-income communities a voice in the
process of shaping the implementation of the Safe Routes to School program.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Charles L. Mason, Jr.

President and CEO
Ubuntu Green

2614 - 36th Street Sacramento, CA 95817 T 916-699-0671 www.ubuntugreen.org

Copyright 2010 Ubuntu Green
cc: Erika Contreras, Legislative Director, Asm. Perez
Martha Guzman-Aceves, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Chione Flegal, PolicyLink

2614 - 36th Street Sacramento, CA 95817 T 916-699-0671 www.ubuntugreen.org

Copyright 2010 Ubuntu Green