Politics

Md. Officials to Hogan: Pump Brakes on Beltway Traffic Plan

WASHINGTON INFORMER — In a show of solidarity, officials from Prince George’s, Montgomery and Frederick counties Monday sent a message to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan: slow down on the proposal to expand Interstates 495 and 270. Those officials and several Montgomery County residents also said adding toll lanes would be expensive and just add more vehicles on highways in the D.C. region ranked as one of the most congested in the nation.

Published

7 years ago

June 7, 2019

Oakland Post

By William J. Ford

In a show of solidarity, officials from Prince George’s, Montgomery and Frederick counties Monday sent a message to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan: slow down on the proposal to expand Interstates 495 and 270.

Those officials and several Montgomery County residents also said adding toll lanes would be expensive and just add more vehicles on highways in the D.C. region ranked as one of the most congested in the nation.

“Local courtesy did not take place in this project,” said Del. Gabriel Acevero, who represents a portion of Montgomery County in the pathway of highway expansion proposal. “We’re calling on the governor to put the brakes on this.”

Acevero and 14 other state, county and municipal officials spoke at Indian Terrace Spring Park, one of the places possibly affected by a plan that rests several feet near Interstate 495.

The Maryland Board of Public Works, comprised of Gov. Larry Hogan, Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot may vote in Annapolis to continue the next step to the public-private partnership process, also known as P3. The current 70-mile proposal seeks to expand the Beltway and Interstate 270 which could cost up to $11 billion.

Acevero joined nearly 60 state lawmakers who sent a letter Monday to the board “to work collaboratively with county stakeholders to consider the range of options to address traffic, beyond those being considered in the current P3 analysis.”

The Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition based in Columbia, Howard County, has an $8 billion proposal for a light-rail network to connect in nine counties and Baltimore City.

At Monday’s press conference in Silver Spring, officials also included several other options to help relief traffic congestion that include the eviction of no residents; dedicated funding for transit; encourage telecommuting and carpooling; and preserves local parks.

A flier also highlights a regional transportation improvement plan to build activity center connections along I-495 in Prince George’s County at National Harbor, Largo near the regional hospital still under construction, New Carrollton and the Greenbelt Metro. Another would be constructed in White Oak in Montgomery County.

Prince George’s County Council approved a resolution last month for the state Board of Public Works to complete an environmental impact statement and ensure there’s an agreement on the proposal from affected counties before Wednesday’s vote.

“There’s a whole spectrum of opinions out there, but that’s a conversation we need to have,” said Prince George’s Council Chairman Todd Turner. “We’ve been able to do that in other contexts. That’s all were really asking. Come with us. Meet with us.”

Hogan has pushed for the plan since first announced in 2017 and public hearings a year later. The governor’s main goal is to decrease traffic and allow a private firm help in the project with limited taxpayer dollars. The 70-mile trek on Interstate 495 from Temple Hills in Prince George’s County to portions of 495 and Interstate 270 in Montgomery County would add toll lanes.

Hogan spokesman Michel Ricci said in an email Monday each phase of the project will come before the public works board. Also, he said, environmental impact studies are currently taking place “concurrently with the P3 process” and the state Department of Transportation has established a transit workgroup of transportation officials from the state, county and federal governments, as well as Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld.

“Good news: we are well on our way to doing all of the things that these legislators request,” Ricci said. “We look forward to implementing these ideas as part of our plan to fix the region’s soul-crashing traffic.”

Pete Rahn, the state’s transportation secretary, said in a Feb. 13 letter he supports the current proposal because it provides another alternative to transportation studies assessed for a decade.

“With our funding shortfalls and lack of debt capacity, we must look at new ways to fund and finance improvements to address the National Capital region’s congestion,” he said.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

18 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

Published

21 hours ago

August 15, 2026

Oakland Post

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COMMENTARY: Why Local School Tax Measure G1 Will Not Be on the November Ballot

POST NEWS GROUP — Measure G1 is the local tax measure that supports middle school teacher retention and the expansion of arts, music, and world language programs at both OUSD middle schools and charter middle schools. The current measure expires in 2029.

Published

21 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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By Jennifer Brouhard, Oakland School Board President

There has been considerable speculation recently about why Measure G1 will not appear on the November ballot and what that means for the Oakland Unified School District’s current budget.

I want to provide some clarity about what happened and, importantly, what did not happen.

Measure G1 is the local tax measure that supports middle school teacher retention and the expansion of arts, music, and world language programs at both OUSD middle schools and charter middle schools. The current measure expires in 2029.

Because these funds are important to our schools and to the continuity of these programs, the district initially intended to place a renewal initiative on the November ballot to provide greater early certainty about funding beyond the expiration of the current measure.

As part of that process, the Board scheduled a special meeting for the required public hearing on the ballot initiative. There has been some suggestion that this meeting was noticed only one day in advance. That is not accurate.

Public hearings of this nature are subject to specific notice requirements, and the meeting must be noticed at least two weeks before the hearing. In practice, the notice may appear even earlier depending on publication schedules. The notice for the Measure G1 public hearing was published in the Tribune on 7/24/2026 and 7/31/2026.

So, why wasn’t the Measure G1 paperwork ultimately filed?

After the Board approved placing the measure on the ballot, the next step required the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools to sign the necessary paperwork before it could be submitted to the Oakland City Clerk.

During that process, Alameda County Superintendent Alysse Castro raised concerns about potential litigation stemming from another court case unrelated to OUSD and about whether proceeding with the measure could expose the district or County to legal challenges. Superintendent Castro’s action is unprecedented and concerning.

It is important to distinguish between the Board’s decision to pursue Measure G1 and the subsequent procedural and legal issues that arose. The Board did approve moving forward with the measure. The measure did not fail because the Board chose not to support it, nor was the public hearing improperly noticed.

The decision not to proceed with the November ballot was made in light of the County’s concerns about potential litigation and the County’s required approval process.

We also need to be clear about what this does, and does not, mean for OUSD’s current budget. The existing Measure G1 funds remain available through the expiration of the current measure in 2029. The immediate issue is the longer-term continuity of funding beyond that date, not the elimination of these resources from the current year’s budget.

Our responsibility as a Board is to protect the educational programs and services our students depend on while ensuring that our decisions comply with the law and protect the district from unnecessary legal and financial risk.

We will continue working to understand the County’s concerns, explore our options, and advocate for the resources our students deserve. Our middle school students, teachers, and school communities deserve stability, and continued investment in arts, music, world languages, and teacher retention—and that work remains a priority for Oakland Unified.

Jennifer Brouhard is a retired OUSD educator and is the current OUSD School Board President representing District 2.