Shows
SGV ConnectSGV Connect 144: An AMA with Foothill Transit In the SGV Connect's end-of-year podcast, Damien Newton and Felicia Friesema of Foothill Transit discuss transit updates in response to questions submitted by readers. The discussion addresses: The delayed implementation of Line 289/197 combination/extension due to ongoing student needs at Ganesha High School. Foothill Transit's hydrogen bus program is paused due to funding cuts, with a focus on low-emission CNG buses. The 295 college connector line...and more! A lovingly edited transcript of the podcast can be found below. SGV Connect is supported by...
2025-12-1928 min
The Well SGV Sermon AudioAll Things NewJoin the Well SGV fall retreat as guest speaker Pastor Ben Shin preaches on the central truth that God has a guaranteed new and wonderful future for us as He invites us to yield and respond to His calling of present renewal. Passages from Rev. 21:5-6 and Ezekiel 36:26-27.
2025-11-0100 min
My SGV PodcastJamie Nguyen - From SGV Roots to National Newsroom: A Journalist’s JourneySend us a textHere’s the story behind a multi-Emmy-winning journalist whose roots run deep in the San Gabriel Valley. Raised by a family that fled Vietnam, she grew up in local neighborhoods, went to San Gabriel High, and learned early how community shapes character. Those SGV years—family hustle, public schools, and a love for Dodgers and Lakers seasons—set the tone for a life built on curiosity, resilience, and service.Her career started the old-school way: entry-level newsroom roles, odd hours, and saying yes to every assignment. From California to a pit stop i...
2025-10-281h 00SGV ConnectSGV Connect Episode 143: A Line Extension Tour In this special episode of SGV Connect, your hosts SBLA SGV Reporter Chris Greenspon and SBLA Editor Joe Linton take listeners on a tour of the newly opened Metro A Line (formerly Foothill Gold Line) extension. The trip begins at the new Glendora Station, where we walked to Finkbiner Park. From there, we go east to San Dimas for lunch at the cozy Rail Side Café. Then in La Verne, we take in Bonita Avenue's elaborate Halloween decorations. Try to see these for yourself before they're gone (photos below).
2025-10-2709 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 142: Baldwin Park Responds to ICE and All That SheThis week's SGV Connect Podcast features a pair of interviews by Chris Greenspon with Baldwin Park City Councilmember Emanuel Estrada and Filmaker Nicola Pieper. Greenspon and Estrada discuss Baldwin Park's $266,000 relief fund for families affected by immigration raids, which offers rent and grocery assistance. Estrada emphasized long-term planning, grassroots action, and multi-county cooperation, noting that all council members have immigrant backgrounds. You can read a transcript of the interview here. In the second interview, Greenspon and Pieper discuss her short documentary All That She, a poetic portrait of 67 women from four continents, including many from...
2025-10-0721 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 141: Foothill Transit's New Route and the Legislative Session Comes to an EndThis week's SGV Connect features a pair of interviews by Damien Newton. Don't worry Chris fans, the next podcast has already been recorded and it has a pair conducted by Chris Greenspon. The first interview this week is with Felicial Friesema about the big changes that have occurred in September with Foothill Transit Coverage. Of course, the SGV's bus agency had to create new routes for the A-Line stations that opened in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona; but the transit agency also opened a new bus line, Line 295, to serve Cal Poly Pomona and Mt...
2025-09-3042 minThe Well SGV Sermon Audio2nd Anniversary Service: Surprised by JesusGuest speaker Pastor Dean Mayeda shares about being Surprised by Jesus, at The Well SGV's 2nd anniversary service. Passages from Mark 6:30-44, John 6:15, Numbers 27:15-17, and Mark 14:22.
2025-09-1400 minMy SGV PodcastIrene Sinso - Ovarian Cancer, Resilience & SGV Food FindsSend us a textI’m excited to introduce Irene—@irenieeweeniee—who turned a corporate layoff and months of misdiagnoses into a mission. After learning she had ovarian cancer, she started editing food videos on her phone and sharing her story on TikTok. What began as a way to cope became a platform for honest storytelling and women’s healthcare advocacy.Irene’s roots run through the SGV. Her immigrant parents ran a Thai restaurant, and weekends here taught her the hustle behind small businesses and where to find the real hidden gems. That perspective shapes eve...
2025-09-0951 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 140: Reclaimers in HousingIn SGV Connect 138, Streetsblog talked to Benito Flores and others in the Reclaimers movement that were helping him resist eviction in the Caltrans owned property he was living in. The Reclaimers are a group of formerly unhoused people who moved into Caltrans-owned properties in 2020 to both put a roof over their heads during a public health crisis and draw attention to the amount of publicly owned housing that was not being lived in during a nationwide housing crisis. After losing several court cases, Flores and other reclaimers were given a choice: move out of their house and...
2025-09-0533 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 138: Reclaimers Resisting EvictionThis week's SGV Connect reconnects with the Reclaimers (full coverage), the group of formerly homeless people that moved into Caltrans-owned houses at the start of the pandemic without the agency's permission. Over the past five years, the Reclaimers have been on a legal odyssey that's involved not just Caltrans and the three cities where the transportation agency owned houses in the right of way for a now cancelled freeway extension, but also the California Highway Patrol, and even the Governor's Office. This interview focuses mostly on the story of Benito Flores, a 76-year old handyman still residing...
2025-07-1539 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 135.1 - An Update on the Gold Line Foothill Construction Timelines (Note: this week's SGV Connect podcast is being broken into two parts. Part 2, which is a series of interview about The People's Cafe in El Monte, will be broadcast tomorrow.) Last week, news broke that bids for the next extension of the Foothill Gold Line - from Pomona to Montclair - would be delayed because the only bid to design and build the project was hundreds of millions of dollars higher than anticipated. Earlier today, Damien Newton sat down with Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority CEO Habib Balian to...
2025-04-0214 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 133: Introducing StreetSmartOk, I'll admit it. I'm using this week's SGV Connect to encourage listeners to start listening to my other podcast, StreetSmart which appears at Streetsblog California. This week's SGV Connect features clips from three different StreetSmart interviews. The first is with Jeanie Ward-Waller where we de-mystify the California Transportation Commission. A little-heard-of board that approves billions of dollars of state transportation funds every year. In this clip, we discuss why it's important to have progressives and activists in some of the voting board positions. For the full podcast, and transcript, click here. Our...
2025-02-0619 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 130 - Streetsblog Editors Recap the 2024 ElectionThe post-election special featured a pair of Streetsblog editors, Joe Linton of Streetsblog L.A. and Melanie Curry of Streetsblog California, joining Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon. Most of the talking was done by Curry, Linton and Newton, and the trio kicked off the discussion by outlining the impact of the Trump administration on federal transportation funding, particularly high-speed rail and public transportation. In a new administration, California will face challenges securing federal funding. In LA County, some important county measures including the "climate bond," Measure A for maintaining the county's homeless services and Measure...
2024-11-1540 minThe Well SGV Sermon AudioRunning the Race for OthersPastor Cory Ishida preaches on The Proclamation of the Gospel – Sharing Jesus with loved ones, concluding the sermon series Running the Race from The Well SGV Fall Retreat. Passages from Hebrews 12:1-2, Matthew 28:19-20, John 16:7-11, 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Isaiah 55:11, John 4:16-18 and 1 Corinthians 9:19-22.
2024-11-1100 minThe Well SGV Sermon AudioRunning the Race of Risk-TakingPastor Cory Ishida preaches on The Prominence of Faith – Four questions risk-takers need to ask, as part of the Running the Race sermon series from The Well SGV Fall Retreat. Passages from Hebrews 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:7, and Matthew 14:22-33.
2024-11-1100 minThe Well SGV Sermon AudioRunning the Race Without the Encumbrance of LiesPastor Cory Ishida preaches on the Priority of the Word - the Truth will set you free, as part of the Running the Race sermon series from The Well SGV Fall Retreat. Passages from Hebrew 12:2, Psalm 119:105, John 8:31-32, 44, and Deuteronomy 8.
2024-11-1000 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 129: Looking at Measures A and GWith many mail-in ballots already in voters hands, it's time for the SGV Connect election special. This week we talk with a pair of experts about two ballot measures that L.A. County voters will decide this fall. First, Damien interviews Supervisor Hilda Solis about Measure G. Measure G was put on the ballot with the support of three of the five Supervisors and would change the way L.A. County's elected government works. The measure would expand the Board from five to nine members, create new reforms designed to increase transparency for L.A. County departments...
2024-10-1631 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 127: Looking Back at This Year's LegislatureJust last week, the legislative session for the year ended in Sacramento meaning a batch of legislation was passed that, if signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, would change the way the state conducts its transportation business. In this episode of SGV Connect, co-host Damien Newton goes it alone, interviewing Streetsblog California editor Melanie Curry. As an aside, both Newton and Curry will be at the Streetsblog San Francisco/Streetsblog California anniversary party next week at Manny's in the Mission on Thursday, September 12, at 6:00 p.m. along with a bevy of transportation reform superstars including mayors...
2024-09-0534 minMy SGV PodcastSteve Soo Hoo - Forging the past, present, and palate of SGVSend us a textSteve Soo Hoo was born in Los Angeles, raised at the foothill of Dodger stadium in LA Chinatown and later moved to San Gabriel Valley to the city of Montebello. He is the youngest of three children to a family who is one of the original founding families of Los Angeles' Chinatown. He attended school in Montebello where he was always involved with some sort of art (visual or audio) and technology, he loved his apple ii+ and iie... yes he's that old. He's a child of the 70s/80s watching i...
2024-07-161h 01SGV ConnectSGV Connect 126: Melissa Mora Hidalgo and Jonah KannerThis week's SGV Connect returns to our regular formula with a pair of interviews by Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon. First, Chris interviews Melissa Mora Hidalgo, a queer entertainment writer living in Whittier. The interview goes back and forth between fun and serious, as the two discuss both her work and the performative allyship that occurs during Pride month. In short, Hidalgo would prefer a city that works to create safe environments for all its residents to one that puts up rainbow flags one month a year. You can read a transcript of the interview...
2024-06-2850 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 124: Reclaimers and Rick ColeThis week's SGV Connect continues our theme of focusing in on various areas of the SGV for our podcast episodes by looking at the Greater Pasadena area. First, Damien and Chris traveled to El Sereno to meet with some of the Reclaimers, unhoused residents of El Sereno who moved into Caltrans owned properties during the pandemic. Benito, Sandra and Fanny return to SGV Connect (their first appearance can be found here) to advocate for affordable housing and community spaces, discuss the ongoing eviction battle between Caltrans and the Reclaimers. Personal stories and experiences are shared, emphasizing the...
2024-05-221h 22SGV ConnectSGV Connect 123: The Upcoming Election in Alhambra CD4This week's SGV Connect is focusing on the election to replace Councilmember and Vice-Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez of Alhambra. Pérez has given up her seat to run for the State Senate. Chris interviews Nicolas Kiet Quach, the president of the Alhambra Library Board of Trustees. While only 18, Kiet Quach is no newcomer to politics having worked for and with Pérez. If you choose, you can read a transcript of the interview, here. Next, Damien talks to Je-Show Yang, a community activist who has appeared a couple of times in Streetsblog articles about the Fremont Avenue exit...
2024-05-1044 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 121, El Monte Region: David Diaz and Pedro GonzalezWelcome to the first SGV Connect podcast of 2024! We start our new year with the first in a new series that focuses on different regions and communities in the San Gabriel Valley and examines both the state of their mobility projects and cultural and community projects. This week, both interviews were completed by Chris Greenspon. The first is with David Diaz, the executive director of Active SGV, where they discuss several projects going on in the area: a multimodal projects coming soon to the area, a linear park and greenway on Merced Avenue, the Rosemead B...
2024-02-1928 minThe Well SGV Sermon AudioBe A Disciple of Jesus in 2024Pastor David Park shares his vision for The Well SGV for 2024, asking the simple question, what does it means to be a Christian. Passage from Romans 12:1-2.
2023-12-3100 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 120: Basking in the Glow of ArroyoFestThis week's SGV Connect podcast is a special episode where the Streetsblog San Gabriel Valley team, Chris Greenspon, Joe Linton and Damien Newton, sit down and discuss the great success that was ArroyoFest 2023. All three were at the event but experienced it differently with Linton and his family biking the route, Newton completing the "Run the 110" 10k race and Greenspon walking along the 110 later in the morning. Of course, this is Streetsblog so we also discuss what the success of the event could mean for future open streets and open freeway events in the region and Newton...
2023-11-0326 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 119: GoSGV and Carribean Fragoza's Scary Bike CrashThis week's SGV Connect Podcast looks backward at the first year of the GoSGV Bike Share program and looks forward to Halloween and ArroyoFest. First, we speak with Jose Jimenez, the education director for Active SGV about the GoSGV's first year, celebrated earlier this month. There are over 100 bikes being rented monthly at the moment and over 400 people took part in the program in its first year. There will be a demonstration zone for the rental e-bikes at ArroyoFest this Sunday near the South Pasadena HUB. You can get more information about GoSGV at their...
2023-10-2440 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 117: ArroyofestThis week's SGV Connect breaks our regular mold as Streetsblog L.A. editor Joe Linton conducts both interviews on the past and future of ArroyoFest which returns at the end of this month, on Sunday October 29th when a portion of the I-110 will be closed to cars and open to other uses in the morning. First, Linton interviews Robert Gottlieb and Marcus Renner some of the leaders that brought Southern California the first ArroyoFest in 2003. Seven years before the first CicLAvia, ArroyoFest changed the conversation around transportation in the region. While we haven't seen the seismic...
2023-10-0534 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 117: Councilwoman Adele Andrade Stadler and Steve FarleyThis week's SGV Connect features a pair of interviews that will change and improve the lives of residents of the San Gabriel Valley. First, we talk with Alhambra Councilmember Adele Andrade-Stadler. Andrade-Stadler is the winner of this year's Elected Official of the Year award given by ActiveSGV at their Noche de las Luminarias. You can read more about her award and her relationship with ActiveSGV at their ActiveBlog. At the end of the interview, we discuss the upcoming Sustainability Plan for Alhambra that should be released for public review later this month. Read a transcript o...
2023-09-2633 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 116: Strategic Parking Plan and Safe Parking in PasadenaThis week's SGV Connect focuses on two different parking programs in Pasadena. As the city closes in on approving its Strategic Parking Plan, we welcome retired UCLA economics professor and parking pricing guru Donald Shoup. Shoup's The High Cost of Free Parking which is still considered essential reading for urban planners decades after its original publication. He was also involved when Pasadena first considered variable parking prices for its Playhouse District. As you can imagine, he has a lot to say. Our second interview is with Tashera Taylor, Melody McNulty, and Catherine Cheung...
2023-08-2948 minThe Well SGV Sermon AudioSamaritans at The WellPastor Rick preaches on John 4, the Samaritan Woman at the Well. He shares how Jesus actively pursues the lost, using us, His church, particularly The Well SGV, to carry out His Great Commission.
2023-08-2700 minThe Well SGV Sermon AudioGod's Call Our Only HopeJoin the inaugural Sunday service of The Well SGV as Pastor David Park shares from Genesis 12:1-4.
2023-08-0600 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 115: Connie Tamkin and the SGV Community Land TrustThis week's SGV Connect Podcast is the second part of a two part series on housing and tenants issues in the San Gabriel Valley and features Connie Tamkin, the president of the San Gabriel Valley Community Land Trust. If you missed part one of the series with Allison Henry, one of the leaders of the San Gabriel Valley Tenants Council, you can find the audio and transcript here. As with the first podcast, Damien and Chris were on-site for the interview, which covered the history of the new community land trust, some of the projects it's working...
2023-07-2441 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 114: Allison Henry and the SGV Tenants CouncilThis week's podcast is the first in a two-podcast mini-series looking at housing issues in the San Gabriel Valley. In this podcast, Damien and Chris talk to Allison Henry, an SGV housing justice organizer with LA Forward and co-founder of the San Gabriel Valley Tenants Alliance. In the podcast, we discuss the recent and long-term history of the battle for housing justice in the SGV and how local politics can lead to very different policies in cities that are just next to each other. While it's no surprise that the cost of housing is high in Southern...
2023-07-1722 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 113 : The Regional Connector Opens and Construction Finnishes on the Gold LineOn Saturday, the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority is hosting a ceremony to commemorate the completion of the light rail track system for the 9.1-mile, four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona. The ceremony is taking place this Saturday, June 24, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., at the D Street railroad crossing (north of Arrow Highway) in the city of La Verne. During the event, the last of 230,630 rail clips will be driven into place (rail clips permanently attach the steel rail to the concrete ties), marking the completion of the new light rail tracks.
2023-06-2227 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 112 : Nathan Allen and Carlos MoralesIn our first interview this week, Chris Greenspon interviews Nathan Allen, the owner of Underdog Bookstore in downtown Monrovia. In Nathan's own words, "Underdog Bookstore, targets specifically books by and about authors of color, as well as LGBT authors, who we consider underdogs, as well as local vendors." Allen explains the need to create safe spaces for youth, especially people of color and LGBTQ+, and provides an overview of life underdogs throughout the SGV. To read a transcript of the interview, click here. In our second interview, frequent SGV Connect guest (and Streetsblog LA Editor) J...
2023-06-1550 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 111: Putting the Reclaiming Movement Into a Larger ContextThis week's SGV Connect is the second in our "Reclaimers" series, focusing on the efforts of a group of formerly homeless activists in the El Sereno to be housed in formerly unoccupied homes owned by Caltrans. The first interview featured six Reclaimers who shared their personal stories on how they fell into homelessness, strived to be rehoused, and then life as a Reclaimer. The stories are powerful and raw. You can hear the podcast here, and read the transcript here. Today's podcast is the follow-up to that one. We are joined by Timothy Ivison with...
2023-06-0139 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 109: Rick Cole and Norma QuinonesThis week's SGV Connect features a pair of interviews with former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole and San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps (SGVCC). Director Norma Quinones. In our first interview, Damien talks with Cole ostensibly about the dozen opinion pieces Cole has written in 2023 about how Pasadena can grow as a city in the future. In the interview Cole laments how Pasadena has changed in the two decades since he was mayor and hopes the city will recommit itself to its progressive routes in coming years. In the second half of the interview, Cole discusses his...
2023-04-0635 min
Tech LassoE12 - A Discussion with SGV CUE and What They DoLos Angeles County is approximately 4,000 square miles, enough space to fill 2,000,000 football fields. Within Los Angeles County there are many great organizations that support educators to become more comfortable with technology and provide many opportunities for professional growth and development with other educators. SGV CUE is one of those organizations. Chris and Scott have a small discussion revolving around what SGV CUE does, we dive into what a Twitter chat is, and we discuss why the investment in CUE is worth the value for all educators looking to integrate technology in their classrooms.
SGV CUE is an...
2023-03-2937 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 107 - Happy Centennial West Covina This week's SGV Connect is a special episode celebrating the centennial for West Covina. Chris Greenspon interviews local historian John Garside about the city's history, covering topics ranging from how the city hall got its name (from a stagecoach company) to lamenting some businesses that closed in recent years. You can read a transcript of the interview, here. West Covina is holding a festival this weekend to celebrate 100 years of being incorporated. You can get all the details at the city's special events page. SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the...
2023-02-1621 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 106 : El Monte Poet Steve Valenzuela and an Update on Puente Hills Landfill ParkWelcome to SGV Connect episode 106, the first episode of 2023. This episode is nearly an hour long with a pair of great, but very different, interviews. First, Chris Greenspon interviews Steve Valenzuela, El Monte poet and writer in residence for the new Zamora Art House in El Monte. The interview touches on Valenzuela's poetry, his work as a school teacher and how his life experiences influence his poetry, teaching and advocacy. The interview touches on his collaborations with the South El Monte Art Posse, who have been a fixture in our coverage going back to SGV Connect #4. For...
2023-02-0155 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 106 : Au Revoir 2022 and Zine Editor John Axtell.It's mid-December, and that means it's time for our annual end-of-the-year SGV Connect Podcast featuring not just Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon, but also Streetsblog LA Editor Joe Linton and Streetsblog California Editor Melanie Curry. After that, we have one last interview by Chris with John Axtell published a literary zine this year about the landscape and culture of the SGV. John and Chris talk quite a bit about open spaces, and rebuilding the industrial wastelands around the 605. But first, Curry kicks off the podcast with a review of the legislation and other decisions made in Sacramento...
2022-12-1543 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 105 : Resisting Change in Suburbia: Asian Immigrants and Frontier Nostalgia in L.A.This week's SGV Connect features an over forty minute interview by Chris Greenspon with author and history professor James Zarsadiaz about his recent book, Resisting Change in Suburbia: Asian Immigrants and Frontier Nostalgia in L.A. (Buy it from University of California Press, here.) Zarsadiaz's book focuses on six communities, five in the San Gabriel Valley (Walnut, Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, and Heights, and a community within the city of Pomona known as Phillips Ranch) and Chino Hills in San Bernardino. The six communities have a similar development pattern and history where a large incoming community of...
2022-11-1847 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 104 : Election Special!With the next election day less than two months away, SGV Connect sits down with Topher Mathers who reviewed dozens of ballot measures throughout the San Gabriel Valley before Active SGV made endorsements for local measures throughout SGV cities. This is our second podcast focusing on the 2022 election. SGV Connect #100 featured an interview with Ricardo Martinez, a progressive challenger to the incumbent La Puente Mayor and Katrina Kaiser with Streets for All who moderated a City Council debate in Monterey Park. For a full list of their endorsements, and details for why they endorsed each...
2022-10-2713 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 103 - San Dimas Station and Artist Julian LucasThis week's SGV Connect is a bit of a departure from our usual format. Instead of two interviews, we start with a discussion between Damien and Chris about a lawsuit filed by the City of San Dimas against the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. The lawsuit calls for a halt to constuction while the issue of where the parking lot for the station is built. The discussion builds on years of reporting, some by Streetsblog and some by other local news. For more background please read, "San Dimas Lawsuit Over Light Rail Parking Project May Mean the...
2022-10-1121 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect: Safe Systems and SGV CyclingThis week's SGV Connect features an interview with the director of the Pasadena Department of Transportation and Vincent LaRocca of the new group ride bicycling group SGV Cycling. As Damien notes in our first interview with Pasadena's Laura Cornejo, SGV Connect was long overdue for a story on the Rose City. In the couple of days since we recorded the podcast, Chris Greenspon covered the 19 projects that the city is planning to build with repurposed funds from the defunct 710 expansion project, but before that it had been awhile. In just the past couple of months...
2022-09-1630 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 101 - The East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan and the Future of JournalismThis week's SGV Connect features two interviews by Chris Greenspon on two different, but important issues. First, Chris interviews James Drevno, a Senior Regional Planner with L.A. County Planning. James is working on the East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan which focuses on the unincorporated "islands" that are scattered throughout San Gabriel Valley. Within these areas, the Mobility Action Plan focuses on where there is the most need for bicycle and transit infrastructure improvements. To read a transcript of the interview between Chris and James, click here. Next, Chris sits down with Josh Sanchez...
2022-08-2644 min
SGV WeeklySGV 022: Could Veteran Raver DJ Spiñorita get the key to Alhambra?
DJ Spiñorita has been raving since she was born… give or take 14 years and a hundred backyard dj’s hired by her family.She lived an important part of not only So Cal, but SGV history. Bygone party scenes like the 626’s Catholic high school dances and iBrowse Coffee and Internet live on spiritually through her streaming shows on Twitch and NTS Radio.
But most importantly, she “reps the SGV HARD!” Electronic music fans all over the world toss up her custom SGV emote on Twitch. Even though most of ‘em have never been here, they get...
2022-08-1200 min
SGV WeeklySGV 022: Could Veteran Raver DJ Spiñorita get the key to Alhambra?
DJ Spiñorita has been raving since she was born… give or take 14 years and a hundred backyard dj’s hired by her family.She lived an important part of not only So Cal, but SGV history. Bygone party scenes like the 626’s Catholic high school dances and iBrowse Coffee and Internet live on spiritually through her streaming shows on Twitch and NTS Radio.
But most importantly, she “reps the SGV HARD!” Electronic music fans all over the world toss up her custom SGV emote on Twitch. Even though most of ‘em...
2022-08-1222 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect Episode 100 : Elections in La Puente and Monterey ParkThis week's SGV Connect focuses on a pair of local city council races in the cities of La Puente and Monterey Park. The first interview features Ricardo Martinez, a progressive challenger to the incumbent City Councilmember and Mayor Charlie Klinakis. The interview touches on Martinez's personal history, platform, and plans to revitalize the city by encouraging investment in La Puente's downtown. In the second interview, Damien talks with Katrina Kaiser with Streets for All. They helped program and moderated a debate in Monterey Park working with locals with Safe Streets for SGV last week with...
2022-08-0439 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 99 - Imperfect Paradise and Update from SacramentoThis week on SGV Connect, we're bringing you a special interview with Adolfo Guzman-Lopez and then our quarterly update with Melanie Curry of Streetsblog California. Adolfo is a household name in the public radio world, covering higher education at KPCC. He spent the last year on a special assignment, investigating the death of a 90's Chicano civil rights activist from Baldwin Park, Oscar Gomez for a podcast from KPCC's LAist Studios. Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary follows Gomez's young adult life from star athlete and scholar at Baldwin Park High School to student activist at...
2022-07-2143 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect: Bike Shop Owner and Former Newspaper Publisher Carlos Morales This week's SGV Connect features an interview with Carlos Morales of the Eastside Bike Club and Stan's Bike Shop. The interview, conducted by Chris Greenspon, discusses Carlos' history as a carfree journalist and how bicycling saved his life. Longtime readers may remember that when Morales wasn't publishing his by-line with Voice Community News, you could occasionally find his work at Streetsblog L.A. THIS is a long-form interview you won't hear anywhere else. So please, as you listen to this interview with a local LEGEND, think about giving a few bucks to Streetsblog's...
2022-07-0757 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 96: Memories of El Monte Moves to New Space, Celebrates 626 FestThis week's SGV Connect Podcasdt features an interview by Chris Greenspon with two members of the Memories of El Monte collective, Aron Montenegro and Alma Zarate. Chris visited the collective's new home on 626 Day when Memories of El Monte celebrated their new space and the local holiday. Memories of El Monte is planning to open a soup kitchen in January and possibly expand with a cafe and even bar in the coming years. The interview covers their plans, the collective's goals, and what makes Memories' preferred coffee so special. For a full transcript of our...
2022-06-3014 min
SGV WeeklySGV 020: The Vinyl Eruption; when will it cool? With The Midnight Hour
Covina’s Midnight Hour Records is a store for music fans at every level. Brand new to the game, “just here for your ten records that you really need”? Sure, you’ll be back though. Longtime fiends buying 45’s instead of groceries? Put it on your tab.
The entryway to The Midnight Hour Records SGV in Covina, CA
Midnight Hour SGV and SFV are sibling stores run by the Amalfitano family, Argentineans by way of La Puente. Brother Brian grew up in the backyard punk and powerviolence scene, but these days he’s more into Fiona Apple. The stores h...
2022-06-2400 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 95: Gold Line Extension Is 'On Time and On Budget' at 50% MarkThis week sees a special #SGV Connect podcast with Damien Newton interviewing Habib Balian, the executive director of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. As we publish this podcast, the Authority is holding a press conference to celebrate the 50% completion point of the current Gold Line extension out to Pomona. For a full transcript of our interview, click here. Read the press release for today's event, here. SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter...
2022-06-1712 min
SGV WeeklySGV 019: If only I took English at Mt SAC with John Brantingham
John Brantingham was a driving force behind Mt San Antonio College’s creative writing club for decades. If you went to SAC in the last 30 years, you probably recognize his trademark shock of white hair and weary expression. He was a fixture around the 26 Building where everyone takes their humanities classes, and he taught all three levels of transfer-required English too.
Acclaimed Pomona poet Michael Torres says John is a major pillar of the college for aspiring writers. John, his wife Anne, and coworkers Lloyd Aquino and Michelle Dougherty organized Mt SAC’s Culturama and the SGV Lit...
2022-06-1000 minSGV WeeklySGV 019: If only I took English at Mt SAC with John BrantinghamJohn Brantingham was a driving force behind Mt San Antonio College’s creative writing club for decades. If you went to SAC in the last 30 years, you probably recognize his trademark shock of white hair and weary expression. He was a fixture around the 26 Building where everyone takes their humanities classes, and he taught all three levels of transfer-required English too. Acclaimed Pomona poet Michael Torres says John is a major pillar of the college for aspiring writers. John, his wife Anne, and coworkers Lloyd Aquino and Michelle Dougherty organized Mt SAC’s Culturama and the SGV Lit...
2022-06-1033 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 94 - Accessible Bike Facilities and the Future Puente Hills Park Tonight, Megan Lynch will present "Acesible and Complete Streets" at tonight's meeting of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition. To get the zoom link, click here and send a note to UC Access. Today, we feature her at SGV Connect for those that can't make tonight's meeting to hear her message. When she's not pushing for transportation planning that includes infrastructure that is accesible to all potential users, Lynch is a graduate student at UC Davis. There, she founded UC Access Now, an advocacy group for the disabled. In the interview, she discusses how one can support their...
2022-06-0645 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 93 - Bike Month with Sen. Portantino and Active SGVMay is Bike Month, and we're kicking off the "Chris and Damien" era at #SGVConnect with two interviews that tie-in to bicycling in the San Gabriel Valley. First, Chris visits La Cañada Flintridge to interview Senator Anthony Portantino. Portantino famously became an avid cyclist during the Coronavirus Stay-at-Home orders and has developed his own bicycling exercise routine. He has taken his new bicycling passion with him to Sacramento where he authored legislation that would force more communities to plan for and move on bicycle and pedestrian planning. In our second interview, Damien talks with Wes Reutimann a...
2022-05-1643 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 92 : Meet Chris GreensponThis week, the Streetsblog team is happy to introduce you to Chris Greenspon, our new writer and podcast co-host in the San Gabriel Valley. Many of you already know Chris from his other podcasting work as host of SGV Weekly, now in its second season. You can download or listen to past episodes at the SGV Weekly website. As has become our tradition, we like to introduce readers and listeners to our new team members by featuring them in a podcast episode. Listen in as Damien and Chris talk about their backgrounds and their ties...
2022-04-2927 min
SGV WeeklySGV 015: Chris Greenspon – The Unauthorized Autobiography
SGV Weekly began as (and remains) my love letter to the San Gabriel Valley. We have great stories here, and my wife said I should include my own. Last season, I opened each show with a personal monologue, but I’m tired of doing that every time and this seemed like a good way to get it out of my system.Why should I be a guest on my own show? That’s the central question a panel of Valleros asked me. Obvious answer: it’s a show about people doing stuff in the SGV – I’m a people d...
2022-04-2200 minSGV WeeklySGV 015: Chris Greenspon - The Unauthorized AutobiographySGV Weekly began as (and remains) my love letter to the San Gabriel Valley. We have great stories here, and my wife said I should include my own. Last season, I opened each show with a personal monologue, but I’m tired of doing that every time and this seemed like a good way to get it out of my system.
Why should I be a guest on my own show? That’s the central question a panel of Valleros asked me. Obvious answer: it’s a show about people doing stuff in the SGV - I’m a peop...
2022-04-2229 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 91 - Damien and Kris, One Last TimeToday's SGV Connect podcast is the last one for the duo of Damien and Kris. As we previously announced, Kris is moving on to a full-time position with Santa Ana Active Streets. We certainly weren't going to let him go without one goodbye podcast. Kris has written for Streetsblog on and off for over a decade first covering Boyle Heights then after a break moving to Orange County and finally covering the San Gabriel Valley where he lived and grew up. No last podcast would be complete without a look back at some of our favorite stories...
2022-03-2926 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 90 - Changes to Garvey Ave in Monterey ParkThis week's SGV Connect podcast focuses on the Garvey Avenue road project in Monterey Park covered for Streetsblog L.A. last week by Jennifer Tang. Tang and fellow advocate Edwin Sun give an update on the project and discuss some of the challenges advocating for a better project on Garvey. At Tang noted in a different piece for Streetsblog last year, Monterey Park is planning to increase car capacity on Garvey Avenue using funds that were allocated from Metro. These funds were originally intended for expansion of the I-710 and were to be used to 'increase mobility' and 'reduce...
2022-02-2427 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 87 : A New Cartography of Greater El MonteThis week, Kristopher talked this week with Romeo Guzman, a member of South El Monte Art Posse, about the bike ride series "A New Cartography of Greater El Monte," that they'll be launching this Saturday. SEMAP has spent the last decade excavating the region's history, and uplifting the art, culture and social justice contributions of the region in order to "rethink how we tell the history of the place and dig into its radical roots," Guzman said. This work has resulted in a "3,000+ digital archive, the book East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte, high...
2021-11-0428 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 86: Alhambra Councilmember Sasha Renée PérezIn this week's episode, we caught up with Alhambra Council Member Sasha Renée Pérez, who we spoke with in January two months after her election win. With still less than a year in office, she's been active in leading Alhambra on many fronts, including adopting Hero Pay for frontline workers, supporting efforts around the Active SGV pop-up demonstration on Poplar Boulevard, and passing resolutions to form a Vision Zero working group and study the viability of rent control and just cause eviction protections. In this interview, Perez touches on many of these issues, including how co...
2021-10-2043 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 85 - Foothill Transit ForwardThis week's SGV Connect features an interview with Felicia Friesema with Foothill Transit. The focus of our interview is mostly on the Foothill Transit Forward although there is a lengthy aside in the middle about the ways in which public comment has changed and improved during the pandemic and what steps agencies can take to continue to improve the general public's access to decision makers in and out of the boardroom. Foothill Transit Forward is a study that will evaluate all aspects of the Foothill Transit system and determine where improvements can be made to...
2021-10-1534 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 84 - Memories of El Monte and Pop Ups in AlhambraWelcome back to the SGV Connect podcast, this week Damien talks with Active SGV about a pop-up bike lane in Alhambra, but first Kris checks in with some of the leaders of a mutual aid organization in El Monte. Kris speaks with Araceli Franco and Nickolas Segura of Memories of El Monte, a mutual aid community space in El Monte. The space is volunteer-run by locals and natives of El Monte and offers activities like mental health and college planning workshops, and even hosts a food distribution. Franco and Segura talked about the roots of th...
2021-09-1635 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 83 : Damien Interviews Kris FortinThis summer, Streetsblog California is running a podcast series interviewing and introducing its Board of Directors to our audience. These volunteers help keep the organization running even if they don't regularly get a by-line on our website. Today's SGV Connect features an interview where one of our co-hosts (Damien) interviews the other (Kris). In addition to his work with our San Gabriel Valley coverage, Kris is a member of our board of directors. The San Gabriel Valley beat is actually Kris' third tour of duty with Streetsblog, having previously covered Boyle Heights and the Orange...
2021-07-2629 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 82 - With the 710 Widening Not Happening, Alhambra Prepares for the FutureIn this week's podcast, Kris Fortin speaks with City of Alhambra Vice Mayor Jeff Maloney about "Advancing Alhambra" the city's plans for its roads after the 2017 decision to not move forward with extending the 710 Freeway. While Alhambra had been one of the cities most vocal in support of extending the 710 up to the 210 for decades, the cancellation of the project has led to new opportunities for the city to invest in transit and safe street programs. Advancing Alhambra pinpoints three interchanges and the current 710 "stub" for improvements that could have a dramatic impact across the whole city.
2021-06-1529 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 81 - More on Caltrans Tenants and Changes Coming to ExpressLanesIn this week's SGV Connect, Damien follows up on his story from last month about the ongoing efforts to transfer ownership of properties owned by Caltrans in what was the project area for the now defunct 710 project near Pasadena. Following that, Kris gets an update on some changes coming to ExpressLanes in the I-110 area. First, Damien interviews Timothy Ivison and Angels Flores, both members of the United Caltrans Tenants Union about the history of the ongoing dispute between Caltrans and their renters. If you're interested in learning more about this story, check out "United Caltrans Tenants...
2021-06-0159 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 80 - Catching Up with Foothill TransitWelcome to the first SGV Connect of April. This week's episode is a solo-interview with Damien and Felicia Friesema at Foothill Transit for a regular check-in about the agencies efforts to provide access to vaccinations, the rollout of its electric double-decker bus fleet and how a transit agency can celebrate poetry month. If you want to use Foothill Transit to help plan a trip to get your vaccine, click here. And if you're looking for a moment of reflection, click here to visit the Foothill Transit and Write Girl L.A. celebration of poetry month. ...
2021-04-2226 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 79This week SGV Connect checks in on the community of Alta Dena in unincorporated Los Angeles County and on how changes at the California Transportation Commission are leading to big changes in how the state funds transportation projects. First, Kris talks with Dorothy Wong, Altadena town council member about building partnerships and using tools like UC Berkeley's SafeTREC Street Story to advance active transportation efforts in this unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. Street Story is free web-based community engagement tool that the public can use to "collect information about transportation collisions, near-misses, general hazards and safe l...
2021-03-3037 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 78 - Bassett High School Stormwater Capture Project and Fareless TransitOn this week's SGV Connect, Kris interviews Dan Lafferty, Deputy Director and Paul Alva, Assistant Deputy Director at the L.A. County Department of Public Works about the Bassett High School Stormwater Capture Project. Currently, DPW is reaching out to the community about the project and is encouraging residents and other stakeholders to complete a survey to help them best prioritize what the project will look like. In partnership with Bassett Unified School District (BUSD), the project will divert urban and stormwater runoff into infiltration galleries underneath Bassett High School athletic fields. Other above ground im...
2021-03-1635 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 77 - More on Greenways and Microtransit in El MonteWelcome to this week's SGV Connect. It's a long podcast, so let's get right into it! The Los Angeles County Flood Control District is currently working on a plan to open up more than 138 miles of SGV waterways to bicyclists and pedestrians. With the plan expected to be completed by Fall 2021, and the environmental review process being completed by Summer 2022, the San Gabriel Valley Greenway Strategic Implementation Plan would create a roadmap toward increasing open space in SGV communities and connecting to Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel Valley River. We spoke with Dan Lafferty, deputy director...
2021-02-1931 minSGV WeeklySGV 011: Thwarting bike death - non-profit designs street justiceEl Monte and South El Monte are emblematic of inequity in the Valley. That’s where Active SGV’s executive director David Diaz is from. From his “frozen food” fueled childhood to being a new father there today, little has changed in the area’s streetscape. There are few neighborhood parks, an unreliable sidewalk system, and it's still a dangerous place to commute on a bicycle.
After going to Rio Hondo College, Diaz became fixated on how the built environment he grew up in affected its residents' health. The two cities are surrounded by three freeways, a dump, frei...
2021-02-0518 minSGV WeeklySGV 009: SGV LGBTQ president on El Monte’s hate churchIn November Camila Camaleon was elected to lead the San Gabriel Valley’s small LGBTQ Center through turbulent times. But her pedigree in this traditional quarter of Southern California may be just what the area’s queer residents need to push for greater service and representation from the region’s Council of Governments. This episode started out as a profile on the Center’s first trans woman president, but recent news highlighted the very reason for LGBTQ organizing in the 626.
Last week, a hate group in El Monte’s profile rose from obscurity as a petition circulated on social m...
2021-01-1519 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 76: Interview with Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez and a Look Forward to 2021Welcome to the first SGV Connect Podcast of 2021. In this week's episode, Kris speaks with Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez before Kris and Damien give a preview of what to look forward to in 2021. On November 3rd, 2020, Sasha Renée Pérez was elected to Alhambra's City Council. Because she beat the incumbent Mayor, she took over her predecessor's term as mayor making her at 28 years old the youngest female mayor in San Gabriel Valley history. In addition, she's also the youngest woman to serve in the city's history. Pérez ran on a pro...
2021-01-1346 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 75: Catching up with the Mayor of Pomona and We Say Goodbye to 2020Goodbye 2020! Man, I've been waiting a long time to type that, and it felt good. This week's SGV Connect features a look back at the best and worst of our coverage in the San Gabriel Valley in 2020. Kris gives a surprising answer to "what was your favorite story" while Damien gives a hopeful look forward to 2021. But first, Damien interviews Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval. Sandoval is taking leadership roles with the Foothill Gold Line Board of Directors and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments in 2021 and the discussion ranges to cover both local and...
2020-12-1743 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 74 - Election Recap Sign-up for our SGV Connect Newsletter, coming to your inbox on Fridays. Everyone is talking about the results from this week's election, and SGV Connect is no different. Our usual team brought back Streetsblog LA editor Joe Linton and Streetsblog California editor Melanie Curry for an in-depth election special that is almost twice the size of a regular episode. First, Melanie breaks down the disappointing results of our statewide ballot initiatives with defeats for progressive measures that would funded public schools by closing a loophole on big business, expanded rent control, and allowed for affirmative...
2020-11-0648 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 73 - The Nature for All Leadership Academy and the End of WalktoberIf you're looking for a distraction from the deluge of election related messaging and media, this week's SGV Connect is for you. If you're looking for more news, views, and insights into the election, you should check out our last episode which covers the Streetsblog L.A. endorsements. In our first interview this week, Kris talked with Araceli Hernandez, a program organizer with Nature For All, to talk about its leadership academy, a 5-month training program that tries to develop the next generation of environmental stewards. The program is intentional in recruiting folks that come from Black, In...
2020-10-2941 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 72: Planning the Playhouse Park in Pasadena and the Streetsblog Ballot GuideWelcome to this week's SGV Connect, a special edition where we discuss some of the state and county ballot propositions that were endorsed or opposed by Streetsblog last week. This week, Damien speaks with Joe Linton, the editor of Streetsblog Los Angeles, about the endorsement process and what ballot measures we think you should support, and another you should oppose. You can read our endorsement piece, here. For the record we are #YesOn15, #YesOn16, #YesOn21, #YesOnJ and #NoOn22. Afterwards, Kris speaks with Brian Wallace of the Playhouse Village Association to get an update on the...
2020-10-0737 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 71: An Update on Metro Projects in SGV and How to Stay Safe from Bad AirIn this week's SGV Connect, we get an update on Metro projects in the SGV including the 210 traffic barrier and how faulty dog bones were causing trouble on the Gold Line. But first, Damien talks to Philip Fine with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) about how to keep your lungs safe as the Bobcat Fire rages. Fine points out that most of the masks that people are wearing to slow the spread of COVID-19 are effective in stopping smoke and other fine particulates from getting into your lungs when you breathe. If you must...
2020-09-1635 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 70: Parking in Pasadena and Parkway Drive in El MonteThis week, SGV Connect looks at studies that examine how Pasadena is reimagining parking in its city and a community spurred project to upgrade and improve Parkway Drive in El Monte. Pasadena has recently launched a study of its parking throughout the city. The study, which will wrap up in early 2021, is looking to create a multi-leveled policy that will address the needs of residents, businesses and the way they move and be adaptable to the areas districts and neighborhoods. "The policies we have been designed with the assumption that one size fits all, and that's not always t...
2020-09-0938 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 69: Stormwater Planning in East L.A. and a Look at the Transit Picture Across the CountryWelcome to SGV Connect. In this week's episode, Kris Fortin interviews Paul Alva with the county's Department of Public Works about East L.A. Sustainable Median Stormwater Capture Project. After that, Damien talks to Streetsblog USA editor Kea Wilson about the state of transit during the ongoing pandemic. L.A. County Department of Public Works is upgrading medians Unincorporated East LA to better capture water runoff. The project will include things like infiltration wells and bioswales which will divert stormwater from going into places like the LA River and replenish the local ground water supply. But it won't be just s...
2020-08-1352 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 68: How Has COVID Changed Homeless Outreach and Metro Prepares to Say Goodbye to an Original Board MemberIn our first interview, Damien reconnects with Teresa Eilers and Shawn Morrissey who appeared on the podcast last fall. Morrissey works with Union Station Homeless Services, a support and housing provider based in Pasadena while Eilers is a coordinator for the Everyone In! Campaign in San Fernando Valley. If someone wants to get involved in their community, sign up at Everyone In's "Get Involved" page and a representative will get in touch with you. In the interview, the trio discuss how COVID-19 has changed the way advocates reach out to people experiencing homelessness and the spe...
2020-07-1453 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 67: Protests throughout SGV and Closed Streets in WhittierIn this week's SGV Connect, Kris Fortin marches with protestors in cities throughout the San Gabriel Valley and brings us their voices direct from the rallies and marches. Kris also discusses his experience at the protests with his broadcast partner, Damien Newton, and how activism is changing in the San Gabriel Valley. You can read, and see, more of Kris' experiences at an article published at Streetsblog last week. One of the protests Kris attended on June 7 was in response to police violence that occurred the weekend before. On June 4 of last week, a lawsuit...
2020-06-1539 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect: LA County Parks Re-Openings and Long-Term Planning Across the RegionThis week, SGV Connect talks to government executives that are overseeing some of L.A. County's largest departments as they respond to COVID-19 and do long-term planning for the future. First, Kris talks to Norma Garcia, the Acting Director of the L.A. County Department of Parks. Fortin and Garcia discuss the county's plans to continue to re-open public space, should the numbers support greater openings, and the experience inside of the re-opened parks and trails last weekend. So far, things seem to be going pretty well. Fingers crossed that the numbers stay low. Next...
2020-05-2055 min
ActiveLabState of Active Transportation in the SGV - Part 2What SGV cities are moving walking, bicycling, and active mobility projects forward? ActiveSGV’s Wes Reutimann touches base with Pasadena Disability and Accessibility Commissioner David Azevedo on the status of the valley’s first bi-directional, on-street protected bike/rollway, and how Commissioners and residents have been working together to ensure the final design meets the needs of people of all abilities. Part 2 of our mini-series on the state of active transportation in the SGV includes updates on the following cities.Baldwin ParkPasadenaSouth PasadenaClaremont...
2020-05-1849 minActiveLabState of Active Transportation in the SGV - Part 1What SGV cities are moving pedestrian, bike, and other active mobility projects forward? ActiveSGV Executive Director David Diaz and La Verne Bicycle Coalition co-founder Doug Strange join Wes Reutimann to discuss the latest, greatest projects coming online in 2020 as well as what's in store for National Bike Month in the SGV. Part 1 (of 2) includes updates on the following cities:El MonteSouth El MonteArcadiaUnincorporated Valinda - La PuenteLa VerneSelect project images and references:Merced Ave Greenway - South El MontePuente Creek Greenway - Unincorporated LA CountyLa Verne Bicycle Coalition - See their F...
2020-05-0251 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 64 - More BRT in the SGV and Announcements on an Expanded SGV ConnectA new BRT line connecting San Bernadino County to a series of cities in the San Gabriel Valley is expected to be approved at the May 6 meeting of San Bernadino County's regional transit agency's Board of Directors. Phase 1 of the BRT line, known as the "Miliken Alignment" of the West Valley Connector BRT will reach from the Pomona Downtown Metrolink station to Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. For more information on the board meeting, and directions on how to participate, click here. This week, Kris speaks with Victor Lopez, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority's Chief...
2020-04-2840 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 63: SCAG Closes in on Final Passage of Connect SoCal and COVID19 Ravages Local Transit This week's SGV Connect focuses on how the Coronavirus is impacting planning and transit throughout not just San Gabriel Valley, but all of Southern California. First up, Kris speaks with Demi Espinoza of the Safe Routes Partnership about the upcoming approval of SCAG's Connect SoCal document. Connect SoCal is a long-range plan that seeks to balance future mobility and housing needs with economic, environmental and public health goals. SCAG is the regional planning organization for a mammoth six-country region that includes Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. Before their interview, Damien...
2020-04-1730 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 62: Coyotes!For anyone who lives in the SGV, and frankly throughout Los Angeles County, coyotes are a regular reality. Whether hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains or walking down Valley Boulevard, hearing a coyote's yelp or spotting its thin frame crossing a street is common. But how we should interact with these wildlife neighbors isn't always clear. On part two of this week's SGV Connect, we spoke with Natalya Romo, the program manager of the Neighborhood Coyote Program, and Alexander Fung, a management analyst with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, about how this program is engaging a...
2020-04-0632 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 62.1 - It's Census Day! Fill Out Your Census Today!April 1 is Census Day! Every ten years, the United States government sends out a questionnaire to ask people living in America where they live and other questions about their lives. The final count of where people lives helps determine how the federal government allocates its money. So, the more people that fill out the census, the more money will flow into their community. Today, we broadcast this half-episode with Adriana Pinedo of Active SGV who is leading the advocacy group's efforts to get as many people counted in the San Gabriel Valley as possible. In...
2020-04-0116 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 61: Non-Profit Leaders from ACT-LA, Investing in Place and LACBC Discuss the Response to COVID19This week, SGV Connect continues our coverage of the Coronavirus and our regional response. First, Kris speaks with Laura Raymond of ACT-LA and Jessica Meaney of Investing in Place about transit agencies' (especially Metro) response to the Coronavirus. Like many groups and organizations, transit agencies find themselves learning as they go along and trying their hardest to react to and learn from what other agencies are doing. The role of advocates, to point out some things the agencies may be missing can help save lives. In the interview, they discuss a letter sent by ACT-LA...
2020-03-2452 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 60.1 - Foothill Transit and COVID19Earlier today, I spoke with Felicia Friesema, a spokesperson with Foothill Transit about the agencies response to the Corona Virus. As you will hear, the agency has been proactive and plans to continue service to those who need it while maintaining as clean an atmosphere as possible to slow the spread. She also stresses that things are extremely fluid, and that passengers should double check that there has not been a change in service during this crisis. Riders can get more details at the Foothill Transit website, a special "Footnotes" page setup for Corona Virus update, or...
2020-03-1311 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 58: The Gold Line Extension and Puente Creek Greenway Keep Moving ForwardThis week, SGV Connect checks in with two old friends about two of our favorite projects in the pipeline: The Gold Line Foothill Extension's next phase and the Puente Greenway Project. First, Damien speaks with Albert Ho, a spokesperson for the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority. In advance of outreach meetings in Glendora, La Verne, Pomona and San Dimas in the next couple of weeks. The outreach meetings will include information on the stations that will be built in each city, the construction schedule and a chance to meet the artists who will be customizing each of...
2020-02-2835 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 57: Metro's Plans for Buses and the Gold Line Eastside ExtensionMetro is conducting outreach on two programs that could dramatically change the way people move about the San Gabriel Valley and all of L.A. County: the Metro Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 and the Next Gen Bus Plan. The last of the outreach meetings for the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 is tomorrow, Saturday the 8th, from 10 to noon at the Ark Montebello (details). To get you all the details about the ways the Gold Line might grow, Kris interviews four members of the outreach team: David Mieger, Jenny Cristales-Cevallos, Lauren Cencic and Lillian De Loza. ...
2020-02-0741 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 56 - New Plans for Arrow Highway, Connect SoCal and Transportation Planning in PasadenaAfter a holiday break and a look-ahead episode, SGV Connect returns to its regularly scheduled programming: looking at the issues and programs that impact the present and future of the San Gabriel Valley. First, Kris Fortin talks to Kome Ajise, the executive director of the Silicon Valley Association of Governments. The two discuss the Multimodal Regional Corridor Plan for Arrow Highway and how people can get involved in the plan to make a car-centric freeway more appealing to road users who aren't traveling by car. To leave comments for the project, visit their official website...
2020-01-2147 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 55 - Francisco Ojeda and Melanie Curry on What's Coming NextWelcome to the first episode of SGV Connect in 2020! This week's episode features Francisco Ojeda of Active SGV and Melanie Curry of Streetsblog California discussing the big stories of 2019 and what we can look forward to in 2020. First, Kris Fortin interviews Ojeda with Active SGV. The two discuss a wide range of issues that Active SGV is engaged with, including its roots in bike advocacy but also a wider discussion of climate change and social justice. After that, Damien Newton and Curry discuss some of the big stories of 2019 and how they will bridge into...
2020-01-1440 min
The Vacuum SealTVS 002 – SGV Stories: “Desilu’s Camera”
Valinda’s Desilu Munoz fell into film at an early age, and used it to document scenes and hoods all over Southern California, until she realized that everything she cared about was right in the SGV. But what’s next for the photog who covers the Valley’s humble beauty?
A note from your host: After recording this interview, I decided to start a mini-series within The Vacuum Seal called “SGV Stories.” These episodes are dedicated to the people and places in the San Gabriel Valley.
Listen/download here.
Follow Desilu’s art:...
2018-02-2300 min