Media Contacts
Gretchen Hilyard, SPUR; ghilyard@spur.org
Rose Roll, The Bay Citizen; Rose_Roll@BayCitizen.org

THE BAY CITIZEN AND SPUR LAUNCH “DEBATES WORTH HAVING,”A NEW DEBATE SERIES ABOUT BAY AREA CIVIC ISSUES

San Francisco, March 3, 2011 — The Bay Citizen, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public media organization based in San Francisco, is partnering with the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) for a new debate series called “Debates Worth Having.”

The series launches on Thursday March 3 with a debate entitled “The Future of Redevelopment,” exploring Governor Jerry Brown’s controversial proposal to eliminate the state’s 425 redevelopment agencies. Fred Blackwell, Executive Director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, will debate the merits of redevelopment with Karen Chapple, Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. The debate will be moderated by The Bay Citizen’s Editor in Chief Jonathan Weber.

Currently, the series has three scheduled debates. The second, “Pros and Cons of Saltworks” on Tuesday March 29, explores the proposed Saltworks development in Redwood City that would bring thousands of housing units to the Bay Area but would destroy what could be a large and productive wetlands. It will feature urban planner Peter Calthorpe, chief designer of the Saltworks, and David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay.

The third debate, entitled “Congestion Pricing for San Francisco?” on April 19, 2011 will explore the implications of surcharging cars entering San Francisco in periods of peak demand to reduce traffic congestion. It will feature Jose Luis Moscovich, Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and Rob Black, Vice President of Public Policy for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

“SPUR is recognized as a local thought leader on urban planning issues, and we’re excited to launch this series in partnership with them,” said Weber. “These debates are a perfect extension of The Bay Citizen’s mission to enhance civic engagement in the Bay Area. Our hope is that after hearing from experts on both sides of each issue, the audience will go home and continue discussing these important topics with their family, friends, and colleagues.”

All debates are held at SPUR’s headquarters in downtown San Francisco. Tickets are free for SPUR and Bay Citizen members and $5 for non-members. For more information, please visit http://www.baycitizen.org/events/debates-worth-having/.

About The Bay Citizen

The Bay Citizen is a non-profit, nonpartisan, member-supported news organization that provides in-depth original reporting on Bay Area issues including public policy, education, the arts and cultural affairs, health and science, the environment, and more. The Bay Citizen’s news can be found online at www.baycitizen.org as well as in print in The New York Times Bay Area report on Fridays and Sundays. For more information, please visit www.baycitizen.org. 

About SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association)

SPUR is the Bay Area's good government and good planning think tank. However, it is unique -- in perhaps the entire country -- in that the SPUR policies are devised through community-based work, based in thorough and nonpartisan research; Furthermore, SPUR puts its ideas into action, producing over 100 public education events and advocacy. In a city dominated by single-interest politics, SPUR plays the crucial role of uniting citizens to jointly craft solutions to our common problems. For more information, visit www.spur.org.