HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-2013 pc bloomGoodwin, Heather
RECEIVE D
JAN 14 201 3
Grimes, Maeve SLO CITY CLER K
t:
Monday, January 14, 2013 10 :23 A M
To:
Goodwin, Heather 10/3Subject:
FW:How to Keep Young Talented Professionals in cQUNCILMEETING
: ITEM NO.:
Please upload this email to the Community Forum webpage . Council has already received thi s
correspondence .
Thank you .
MEW,kenncdy cl ime s
City Cler k
city of sari Luis otiisp o
990 Palm Stree tSan Luis Obispo, CA 9340 1phone:(805) 781-710 2
email:mKrimes@slocitY .or g
From :Carter, Andre wSent:Friday, January 11, 2013 6 :22 P MGrimes, Maev eject:FW : How to Keep Young Talented Professionals in SLO
Public File .
Andrew Carte rCouncil Membe rCityofSanLuis Obispo
From :leslie bloom [leslieannbloom@gmail .com]Sent :Friday, January 11, 2013 2 :43 PMTo:Marx, Jan ; Smith, Kathy ; Carter, Andrew ; Carpenter, Dan ; Ashbaugh, Joh nSubject:How to Keep Young Talented Professionals in SL O
Hello SLO City Council ,
As a 10 year resident, I have been in San Luis Obispo because I love it . I love how our community
allows each other forums to speak up and share our ideas in a respectable manner . I love seeing m y
council members walking on the streets of downtown SLO . I love how prideful our residents are .I
love how so many local non-profits and businesses care for our community . But most of all, I love
how easy it is to get around by bicycle .
I came to SLO in 2003 as a Cal Poly student, graduated in 2008 with degrees in Architecture ,
.tainable Environments, and Anthropology, and have happily been here ever since .
The draw to move on to a larger city for more job and cultural opportunities has always been huge ,
but there is one thing that has kept me here - the ease by which I can move around on my bicycle .
i
Like many of my young, educated, ambitious, hard-working friends, we all have stayed here, thi s
being our main reason . I honestly cannot stress this enough - we have all at some point wanted t o
ve to Manhattan, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles to fill our yearning for music, culture ,
penings and speed that SLO lacks - but we have all stayed because we do not have the dail y
d that would come from the metropolitan areas, we avoid that grind here in SLO by biking .
The same can be said of many, many other people just out of Cal Poly, with incredible ideas, passio n
and drive to stay and make SLO the best place it can be . These same talented minds would star t
incredible businesses here, keep their intellectual capital here to enhance existing businesses an d
become engaged citizens in this town - if getting around by bicycle was even better . I guarantee it .
Us young residents (25-35 hard working young professionals) feel underrepresented in our loca l
government but care deeply for this place, and want to remain here to raise families and continue t o
plant our roots in this incredible place . I ask that you consider the message of this email and article s
below as you plan the budget and goals for the next few years . Thank you .
Some wonderful articles from national sources on why more on-street bicycle parking, separate d
bicycle infrastructure, bike lanes, and bike boulevards are GREAT for the future (cultural, sustainabl e
and economic development) of SLO !
•Studies show that bicycle customers spend more and visit more often than those via car - "It's
much easier to stop for an impulse purchase when rolling by at 12 mph on a bike tha n
speeding by at 3 mph in a car ."
•Bicycle infrastructure attract (and in SLO's case, keep) vounq talented minds in our loca l
economy - "We want young talent to come here and stay . And good biking is the leas t
expensive way to send that message ." Minneapolis, MN Mayor R .T . Ryba k
•Bicycles allow for a more resilient transportation network, less subject to fluctuating gas price s
and costs of owning a motor vehicle - "I'm extremely glad to have a bike right now, it's one o f
the best assets you can have ." Brooklyn resident after Hurricane Sand y
leslie bloo m
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