Orinda Watch letter to Council - PLEASE read!

Dear Orinda Watch Members and friends,

Yesterday, the Orinda City Council posted the agenda, staff report, and citizen comments for Monday night’s special meeting on Plan Bay Area here.  

We can’t tell you how much we respect and appreciate each one of you for making your concerns about Plan Bay Area known to the Council.  It is your doing so that has led to the Council scheduling this special meeting.

One of the most troubling aspects of this sad and unfortunate event known as Plan Bay Area, is that local governments have not asked for the views of their residents on this Plan.  ABAG and MTC have had the field to themselves to engage in their exercise of seeking manufactured consent, while the voices of the citizens have been ignored, marginalized, and minimized.

Until now--and thanks to you.

This is our time to have our voices heard.  Please do whatever you can to show up on Monday night, May 13, 7:00pm at the Orinda Library Auditorium, and do everything you can to encourage your friends and neighbors to attend as well.

And, please take time to read the letter that Orinda Watch delivered to the city today, along with the supporting materials.  If nothing else, please read the file entitled “Orinda Watch comment on Plan Bay Area.”  It’s that important.  This will not be a waste of your time. 

 In this letter we lay out the evidence about this profoundly dishonest Plan and show how that evidence “paint[s] a devastating picture of two unaccountable agencies and a process that has gone terribly awry.” 

Please be sure to share this letter with your neighbors and friends as well.

Thank you,

Orinda Watch Leadership

p.s., we cannot recommend highly enough that you also review the attachments to our letter to the City Council, if you have the time.  We’ve also attached here the list of appendices to our letter—you can find the attachments on the City’s website along with the letter at the link above, or we can send you individual appendices or all of them at your request.

​Click HERE to download the Orinda Watch Comment Letter submitted to Orinda City Council.
Click HERE to download the Table of Appendices; then email us at orindawatch@gmail.com for a copy of any Appendix you'd like to read.​

​​

Orinda City Council to hold special meeting on Plan Bay Area - Mon, May 13th @ 7pm

This past Tuesday night, the Orinda Community came out and filled the auditorium at the City Council meeting.  Around 14 or 15 speakers stood up and spoke up, primarily to ask city council why the city was not submitting comments on behalf of Orinda citizens to the Plan Bay Area before the official deadline of 5/16th at 4pm.  You pressed the city council for answers.

Orinda Watch has been advised that Orinda City Council has decided to hold a special meeting (quoting the attached city council agenda) to "receive public comment and direct staff to develop City of Orinda comment letter on Plan Bay Area to be submitted to Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) by the May 16, 2013 deadline."

In preparation, we are asking the following: 

1) Submit a formal letter (see below instructions for submission from Orinda's city administrator) to the City Council before the end of the week (if possible) and up until Sunday night expressing your views on Plan Bay Area. 

We ask that you write about why Plan Bay Area is bad for Orinda and the cities of the Bay Area.  We especially request that each and every one of you include the following demands in your letter. "I ask that Orinda City Council demand:
a) for an extension to the Draft Plan Bay Area comments deadline by a minimum of ninety (90) days so that citizens can research and comments on both the 160+ plan and the 1300+ page Draft Environmental Impact report
b) for an absolute commitment from Plan Bay Area creators to instruct Association of Bay Area Governments  ("ABAG") and Metropolitan Transportation Commission ("MTC") voters not to vote on Plan Bay Area for at least six (6) months from the final release of Plan Bay Area (currently scheduled for June 2013 release).
c) for an absolute commitment from Plan Bay Area creators to hold off voting on the Plan Bay Area until the substantive and material concerns about the process and substance of Plan Bay Area have been fully addressed, including all of the comments that were received prior to and after Draft Plan Bay Area's release.
d) that a true and unbiased outreach campaign begin in earnest so that the citizens of the Bay Area can learn about and hear what is in the plan.  This includes in depth discussions in mainstream print, online, radio, and television forums where the merits/detractors of the plan can be debated openly.
e) that the ABAG & MTC voters choose the 'No Project' option. 

2) Please attend the special meeting with Orinda City Council this Monday, May 13th at 7pm in the Orinda Library Auditorium.  Please plan to arrive around 6:45pm and fill-out a speaker card.  Even if you do not plan to speak, you may be able to cede your time to another individual.  

Additional Information: To assist you in preparing your formal letter and to speak on Monday, please email us for the bullet points we prepared shortly after the release of Draft Plan Bay Area in advance of the 4/22nd public hearing.  We'll be happy to send you a copy.

Lastly, we ask that you kindly RSVP on whether you will be submitting a letter and if you'll be attending the Monday night meeting so that we can get an accurate feel for the response from the community.

As always, please pass the message to friends and neighbors.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Orinda Watch Leadership

From: Michele Olsen [mailto:MOlsen@cityoforinda.org
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2013 5:01 PM
Subject: Orinda City Council Agenda- 5/13

Attached is the agenda for the 5/13/13 City Council meeting. The meeting will be held in the Library Auditorium (26 Orinda Way) at 7pm. Please distribute to your group in advance of the meeting and direct any comment letters for the City Council  to come to my attention by email to molsen@cityoforinda.org or they can be dropped off to my office at City Hall at 22 Orinda Way. Thank you in advance for your help in notifying community members of the meeting.

Sincerely,

Michele L. Olsen 
City Clerk 
City of Orinda 
22 Orinda Way
Orinda, CA  94563 
925.253.4221 phone 
925.254.2068 fax

Amusing Plan Bay Area Cartoon + Important "Save the Dates" - May 13th, May 21st & May 30th

First, here's a very clever cartoon entitled "The Plan Bay Area Public Outreach Meeting" by Common Sense Studios, which is very amusing.  It's worth watching and circulating throughout the entire Bay Area.  Please pass it along.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51W2xlIZ95E

A neighbor drops by to learn about the One Bay Area Plan

Next, here's another Save the Date message for you.  We have 3 events for you to put on your calendar and 2 event for you to forward to all of your friends who live in/around Lafayette & Pleasant Hill.  (*Note: there is an Orinda City Council meeting the night of May 13th & May 21st which conflicts with the Lafayette City Council Meeting & Pleasant Hill Informational meeting.)


Calendar:

  • May 13th, 7pm: Orinda City Council Special Meeting on Plan Bay Area @ Orinda Library Auditorium (see tonight's message for full details)
  • May 13th, 7pm: Lafayette City Council Meeting on Plan Bay Area @ Lafayette Library Meeting Room (Please tell all of your Lafayette Friends & Neighbors to attend!) [More details below]
  • May 21st, 7pm: Orinda City Council Regular Meeting @ Orinda Library Auditorium (no further details at this time)
  • May 21st, 7pm: Pleasant Hill Citizens for Responsible Growth - Plan Bay Area Informational Meeting (Please tell all of your Pleasant Hill friends & neighbors to attend!) (see below for more details)
  • May 30th, 6:30pm: "The Great Planning Debate: One Bay Area...is it Good for the Bay Area, is it good for Marin" @ Marin Civic Center, San Rafael (you won't want to miss this!)  [2 MTC/ABAG executives  vs 2 Nationally-Recognized Land-use & Transportation Experts as Opponents] (full details below)

Additional details on these new events are below:

Event 5: The Great Planning Debate: One Bay Area...is it Good for the Bay Area, is it good for Marin (aka The Thrilla in Marin-illa), 
When: Thursday, May 30th, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Where: Marin Board of Supervisors Chamber, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael

The Great Planning Debate: 

Plan Bay Area … Is it good for the region?

Is it good for Marin?

Thursday, May 30th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Marin Civic Center Board of Supervisors Chamber

MAY 1st 2013, San Rafael, California: Plan Bay Area stands to make significant changes to housing and transit across the Bay Area, encouraging cities and counties to plan high-density housing around transit - sometimes referred to as "smart growth". The Institute for Leadership Studies at Dominican University is sponsoring a meeting of the minds on this subject, bringing together four leading figures on both sides of the plan.

Panelists supporting Plan Bay Area are possibly the top two speakers on this topic: Steve Kinsey, MTC commissioner and Marin County Supervisor; and Mark Luce, Napa County Supervisor and President of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). Both hold leadership positions in the two agencies that developed Plan Bay Area.

Opposing Plan Bay Area are two of the strongest opponents to the transit-oriented development and smart-growth approaches proposed in Plan Bay Area: Randal O'Toole of the Cato institute, author of "Gridlock"; and Thomas Rubin, an Oakland-based transportation consultant and former Chief Financial Officer of Southern California Rapid Transit District (1989-1994).

Panelists will speak to the issue of the evening and respond to audience questions. The League of Women Voters and community leader Richard Hall will facilitate audience questions submitted that evening by card.

Date/Time: Thursday, May 30th 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Location: Marin Board of Supervisors Chamber, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael

Moderator: Judge Verna Adams

Entry: A $5-$10 donation is requested but not required.

(This is to cover Randal O'Toole's travel expenses, he is flying in from Portland)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event 4: Pleasant Hill Citizens for Responsible Growth - Plan Bay Area Informational Meeting
When: May 21st at 7pm
Where: Pleasant Hill Community Meeting Room at 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA

Details: The Pleasant Hill Citizens for Responsible Growth (PHCRG) was founded in 1985 and is the only grassroots organization that advocates for residents on a full range of issues, including land use, education and quality of life in Pleasant Hill.

PHCRG is holding an informational meeting on May 21st on Plan Bay Area.  Pleasant Hill's General Plan will be revised this year, so it's critically important that residents become informed.

PHCRG President, Mike Flake, will be the presenter at the May 21st meeting.  "Mike is an engineer who has worked with CalTrans, etc. and is very knowledgeable about One Bay Area.  Mike is well-known in the community and has developed an informative presentation tailored to Pleasant Hill's issues, so people can gain an appreciation for the Sustainable Communities Strategy's impacts on Pleasant Hill 'from one of their own.' "

PHCRG leadership are seeking to re-energize the organization and grow their membership, in preparation for the 2014 City Council race.  Because the group advocates for residents on a wide range of issues, in addition to land-use, it's important for PHCRG to "have a seat at the table" when city officials make decisions regarding education, street and infrastructure maintenance, finances, recreation and park issues, etc.

PHCRG's eventbrite site for this event offers additional information about the group.  Full color flyer is attached and can be freely distributed.  Please forward this to anyone you know that wants to understand more of this issue but has yet to attend a townhall, especially anyone you know that lives in or around Pleasant Hill.

Event 3: Lafayette City Council Meeting on Plan Bay Area
When: May 13th at 7pm
Where: Lafayette Library Meeting Room, Lafayette, CA


This message was forwarded by a member of the Lafayette Homeowners' Council.  Please pass around to all of your friends and neighbors in Lafayette.  We're happy to put you in touch with LHC:

"Lafayette City Council will be meeting Monday, May 13, at 7:00 in the Library meeting room.  They will be hearing a report from the Planning Director on the jobs/housing figures for Lafayette that are part of the Plan,  A few of us from the Lafayette Homeowners' Council will be there to support the staff report.  We will also ask for Council support for an extended review time of the Plan by the general public, that the Plan be put to a public vote, that the Plan be re-written, etc.

Please be there.  The Lafayette City Council needs to hear your concerns."

Send a letter to your your Representative(s)

Here's a sample letter to send to your representatives.  Copy and Paste the text, change the names of the sender(s) and recipient(s), print it, and mail it or email it...heck, use it as a telephone script and call your elected official with it.

[DATE]


Dear [County Supervisor],
Dear [City Council Member],

I am a resident, voter and property owner in the Bay Area.  I have recently become aware of the One Bay Area Plan and the sweeping changes proposed for the Bay Area by ABAG and MTC to implement California State Senate Bill 375 and the State’s housing element laws.

I am outraged that the locally elected officials we have sent to represent us in this process have selected for adoption, an ABAG plan alternative (Option 2) that threatens our way of life, our property, our sacred values and our right to self-determination.   I support the no plan alternative (Option 1) which leaves planning to the local city and county authorities where it legally belongs.

This One Bay Area Plan sacrifices our future transportation and housing needs in favor of reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change.  Truthfully, it achieves neither, while locking the 7 million people in the Bay Area into an expensive and ineffective one-size fits all “Solution” for the next 25 years, not taking into account the dynamic nature of technology and societal changes that make this type of planning obsolete before the ink is dry.

This One Bay Area Plan is not our choice.  It is a mandate to ruin our cities so they can be densified and then rebuilt as “livable”.  My city is very livable right now and we don’t want this draconian regional approach to planning foist upon us.

The Association of Bay Area Governments is a joint powers authority, created as a vehicle for regional coordination of inter-county issues.  County and City membership in ABAG is voluntary.  If you adopt this One Bay Area Plan you are voluntarily giving up your county’s and city’s rights to determine how best to address the future needs of your unique community.  Please provide your community with the necessary leadership to stand up for your residents and say ‘No!’ to the One Bay Area Plan in its current form.

ABAG and MTC have received repeated, strong objections to the forecasts underlying its planning process from numerous stakeholders over the past several years.  The counties and cities in the Bay Area need to determine their own independent sustainable communities strategies with ABAG and MTC acting solely in a coordination role. 

I am looking forward to your response on how you will represent your constituents on this issue and on regional issues in the future.

Sincerely,


[your name]
[your contact information]

CC: [editor(s) of your local newspaper(s)] & ABAG Public Relations

Contra Costa County-MTC Commmissioners-ABAG Members-City Council & Supervisors
As of March 5, 2013

MTC Commissioners

AMY REIN WORTH, Vice Chair
Representing Cities of Contra Costa County
Councilmember, City of Orinda
22 Orinda Way
Orinda, CA 94563
Phone: (925) 253-4200
Fax: (925) 254-9158
aworth@cityoforinda.org

FEDERAL D. GLOVER
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
Pittsburg, CA 94565
Phone: (925) 427-8138
Fax: (925) 427-8142
dist5@bos.cccounty.us

ABAG EXECUTIVE BOARD - Contra Costa
Contra Costa County (4) two for the county; two for the cities

Primary
Supervisor Karen Mitchoff
Supervisor John Gioia
Mayor Julie Pierce (Clayton)
Councilmember Dave Hudson (San Ramon)

Alternate
Supervisor Candace Andersen
Supervisor Mary Piepho
Councilmember Brandt Andersson (Lafayette)
Councilmember Ben Johnson (Pittsburg)

COUNTY SUPERVISORS

www.contracosta.ca.gov/
651 Pine St., Room 107
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 335-1900

District 1: Supervisor John M. Gioia
District 2: Supervisor Candace Andersen
District 3: Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho
District 4: Supervisor Karen Mitchoff
District 5: Supervisor Federal D. Glover

CITY GOVERNMENT

​City of Antioch
www.ci.antioch.ca.us/
(925) 779-7000

City of Brentwood
www.ci.brentwood.ca.us/
(925) 516-5400

City ​of Clayton
www.ci.clayton.ca.us/
(925) 673-7300

City of Concord
www.ci.concord.ca.us/
(925) 671-3158

Town of Danville
www.ci.danville.ca.us/
(925) 314-3329

City of El Cerrito
www.el-cerrito.org/
(510) 215-4305

City of Hercules
www.ci.hercules.ca.us
(510) 799-8200

City of Lafayette
www.ci.lafayette.ca.us/
(925) 299-3210

City of Martinez
www.cityofmartinez.org/
(925) 372-3500

Town of Moraga
www.moraga.ca.us/
(925) 888-7050

City of Oakley
www.ci.oakley.ca.us/
(925) 625-7000

City of Orinda
www.ci.orinda.ca.us/
(925) 253-4220

City of Pinole
www.ci.pinole.ca.us/
(510) 724-9000

City of Pittsburg
www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/
(925) 252-6900

City of Pleasant Hill
www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/
(925) 671-5270

City of Richmond
www.ci.richmond.ca.us/
(510) 620-6581

City of San Pablo
www.ci.san-pablo.ca.us/
(510) 215-3000

City of San Ramon
www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/
(925) 973-2530

City of Walnut Creek
www.walnut-creek.org/
(925) 943-5800

Bay Area Citizens needs your help

On behalf of our friends at Bay Area Citizens, we are asking that you consider a meaningful donation to challenge Plan Bay Area and its draft environmental impact report through fair and objective reports by top national experts.  The Plan defies logic and defiles small- to medium-sized towns like ours, and it is up to the citizens themselves to provide this essential analysis.  

However, the deadline is rapidly approaching and Bay Area Citizens needs funding right away.  We know that everyone’s financial situation is different.  If your budget is tight, please consider a donation of $50 or $100.  If you have the funds available, please join with your neighbors who have donated $250, $500, or $1,000.

In order to fully fund these expert reports, however, Bay Area Citizens also needs larger donations in the range of $2,500 or $5,000, and if you are in a position to do so, we hope you will consider making a donation of this size.

Everyone’s help counts here, and together we can do this.

Thank you for your consideration,

Orinda Watch

PS here are the instructions on how to donate...see below
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am writing to ask that you consider donating generously to helping fund expert reports to challenge Plan Bay Area's draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The draft EIR will be released on March 29, and we will have 45 days to submit comments.

The Plan appears to be based on deeply flawed models, forecasts, and assumptions. Bay Area Citizens has identified a number of top national experts in land use, transportation, and the environment who are willing to work with us. Our expert reports will provide the analytically-sound, empirically-based assessment of the Plan and its assumptions that ABAG and MTC should be providing, but aren't.

These reports are essential to all the public for its informed decision making on the Plan.  They are also necessary if we should decide to file suit against the Plan after it is adopted.

Please send your check to:

Bay Area Citizens

3527 Mt. Diablo Blvd #358

Lafayette, CA 94549

You can also donate by credit card online:

Donate to help fund our programs here!

If you know anyone else who may be interested in donating towards this effort, please encourage them to do so.

The stakes couldn't be higher, and these reports are so incredibly important. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, and thanks so much for your help!

Please note that your donations to Bay Area Citizens are not considered tax deductible at this time.

Bay Area Citizens
3527 Mt. Diablo Blvd #358
Lafayette, CA 94549
www.facebook.com/BayAreaCitizens
www.twitter.com/BayAreaCitizens
www.BayAreaCitizens.com
Phone: 925-386-6387
Email: bayareacitizens@yahoo.com

March 13th Townhall in Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building from 6pm to 7:45pm

Environmentalist/Former Housing Developer/Author and Former Mayor and Current Corte Madera City Council Member speak against High-Density Housing in Lamorinda

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 from 6pm to 7:45pm
Location: Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building, located at 3780 Mt Diablo Blvd  Lafayette, CA 94549

Speakers
Bob Silvestri, author, architect, environmentalist, former housing developer, & community activist. Bob's book is 'Best Laid Plans: Our Planning and Affordable Housing Challenges in Marin.' 

AND 

Bob Ravasio, current city council member and former mayor of city of Corte Madera, the first city to withdraw from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). 

Topic
Coming to Orinda/Lafayette/Moraga? 
Massive high-density, subsidized housing and why the One Play Bay Area from Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is a terrible idea for all cities and how to solve environmental issues through other means. 

Also, 
A discussion on why the city of Corte Madera voted 5-0 to get out of this plan and the membership in ABAG and why all cities should seriously consider this option.

Please join us for a very informative town hall meeting which will explain why this plan will: 
• Negatively affect our schools 
• Negatively affect property values 
• Ruin our small town character 
• Negatively impact the environment 
• Cause traffic and parking congestion 

For more information, please contact: 
orindawatch.org or 
orindawatch@gmail.com
925-257-2905