Alliance > Media center > People Powered Blog

Entries tagged: Montebello Bicycle Coalition

The Alliance held its most recent Winning Campaigns Training in Los Angeles last week, hosted by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC). Thirty biking and walking advocates from 18 organizations, two states, and two countries came together to participate and propel their campaigns toward success.

Most of the participants were local members of the LACBC Regional Partnership and have been working together for months and years to build a cooperative network of L.A. bike-ped advocacy. Additional participants from Sacramento, Idaho, and Mexico added diverse perspectives that led to rich discussion and enthusiasm. Ron Milam, an organizational consultant and the founding Executive Director of LACBC, joined me in facilitating the workshop.

The Alliance’s signature training uses proven curriculum, targeted specifically to the unique needs and experience of bicycle and pedestrian advocates. They are intended for any potential campaign leader who would benefit from gaining the tools to craft and manage powerful advocacy campaigns. Manuel Zavala, of the Montebello Bicycle Coalition, summed it up well: “This training gave me the confidence to conduct a proper campaign!”

“I have been absolutely changed, empowered and inspired by this training to become a more effective campaign manager,” added Andy Rodriguez, LACBC’s Bilingual Bicycle Safety Coordinator.

“Every Alliance-facilitated training or retreat I’ve attended has been inspiring, but this training has been my favorite,” said Carol Feucht, Membership and Online Media Manager for the LACBC. “Seeing so many groups, particularly LA county’s fledging regional groups, at this training signifies how far the regional bike-ped movement has come.”

The weekend included a walking tour of the area and through the site of Occupy L.A., and a bicycling tour that highlighted a recent campaign win for the LACBC: the 7th Street Bike Lane. Supported by an Advocacy Advance Capacity Building Grant, LACBC will continue its bilingual education and outreach to build a larger and more equitable network of bike lanes and bicycle-friendly streets in South, Northeast, and Central Los Angeles.

The workshop was a great preparation for the California Bike Summit, held in L.A. November 4-6 and hosted by the California Bicycle Coalition. Los Angeles County is also the location of the 2012 Pro Walk / Pro Bike Conference and Alliance Leadership Retreat, both held in September in Long Beach.

This affordable training wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors: Planet Bike, VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, SRAM, Bikes Belong, AARP, Alta Planning + Design, Clif Bar, Team Estrogen, Sun Bicycles and Specialized. Additional support from Kaiser Permanente allowed the Alliance to offer 15 scholarships to the LA training.

Register now for the Alliance’s next Winning Campaigns Training, hosted by Palmetto Cycling Coalition, in Columbia, SC from November 4-6.