The Environmental Protection Agency has named Intel at the top of the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters, noting that 92 percent of its employees, at various campuses across the country, have access to commute options such as carpooling, bike lockers, showers and stations to power up electric cars.

   While the recent EPA list ranks Fortune 500 companies, any employer can receive the Best Workplaces designation. In all, about 45 local companies and government agencies - employing about 70,000 workers - have received the EPA designation of best workplaces for commuters.

   To get that recognition, companies have to meet a long list of requirements such as subsidizing some employee transit expenses,
offering telecommuting options, and offering secure bike storage.

Local celebration will mark 50's new Leidesdorff name

   A community event will be held Saturday, October 9 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. to celebrate the renaming of a portion of Highway 50, between Bradshaw and the El Dorado County Line, as the William Alexander Leidesdorff Jr., Memorial Highway. The event will be held at Courtyard by Marriott, 2575 Iron Point Road.

   Leidesdorff was the first elected treasurer of the City of San Francisco. He built the first shipping warehouse with ship building yards and organized the first horse race with legal wagering. His greatest historical legacy is probably as founder of public education in California. He donated the land, financed the school construction and served as president of the first public school board in California.

Take some time to study;
then comment on our future

   Last week, the Preferred Blueprint Scenario for Sacramento 2050 was released in area newspapers. It's also available on line. Here's your chance to review the preferred scenario and comment on it prior to its adoption by the SACOG board in December.

   In contrast to the Base Case Scenario (which projects how the region would grow if current practices continue), the Discussion Draft Scenario has higher residential densities; emphasizes re-investment in existing developed areas, and mixes land uses better and provides a better balance of jobs and housing. While both scenarios show growth through 2050, the new growth of the Discussion Draft scenario develops less than half as many square miles as the Base Case Scenario's new growth. Overall, the discussion Draft Scenario results in fewer and shorter car trips, more people biking, walking, and taking transit, and less congested roadways.

   You'll find the on-line survey here.