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Jessica Mullins (Editor) May 15, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Thanks for the feedback, John. To my knowledge, we don't have a comments stream anywhere. Definitely…Read More submit your comments here (it's the most efficient way to get your thoughts heard at the higher level): http://ow.ly/l4cyg
Stephen Nestel May 14, 2013 at 11:21 am
Thanks again Bob for being a leading light in the discussion of the One Bay Area Plan. It is so…Read More frustrating to be presented with questionable statistics and wild projections of growth by our government as fact. Your commonsense criticism is most welcome. We must not allow the urbanization of Marin to go unchallenged. Remember Marincello.
Rico May 13, 2013 at 09:37 pm
reply to Al,
I posted a comment on this thread last night on the Mill Valley Patch and it was…Read More rejected instantly with no explanation as to why at all. I emailed the editor to see what the problem was, but so far I have not heard a reply.
I think that they are reworking the Patch and are experimenting with new filters, probably some bugs to work out .
Also, I have in the past noticed that some posts on the Mill Valley Patch do not show up at all on all the other Patch's in Marin. I guess it depends on the topic, each Patch has different articles for their areas, but this particular thread concerns all of Marin.
One thing I think that I will do from now on is to NOT use the reply button.
It confuses some people about the order that the Patch places replies, and some people have accused others of responding to the wrong poster.
I have a suggestion for the Patch editors, place replies in the order received, oldest first.
Also I like the new spelling warning.
And I agree, Bob wrote a great letter and I hope someone at ABAG reads and understands it.
Al Dugan May 13, 2013 at 07:11 pm
Wow, things have changed on the Novato Patch. I posted the comment below to the same articule on…Read More the Mill Valley Patch and it did not carry over to the Novato Patch. Wow, I miss Brent.....
Bob, as always a thoughtful and complete examination of the facts and a penetrating rebuttal of the flawed process apparently driven by a heavy dose of lobby pressure and politics and disregard for the facts.
Thrasy Bulus May 21, 2013 at 01:29 pm
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/340982-if-you-can-t-dazzle-them-with-brilliance-baffle-them-with
valeri hood May 14, 2013 at 06:47 pm
there is now a marin real estate advisory disclaimer that urges people to look into this before…Read More buying a home- this will affect the local housing market! People do care about commute times, infrastructure and tax costs
valeri hood May 14, 2013 at 12:30 pm
There is a massive push towards geoengineering to meet our water needs at the national level, and…Read More this plan will open the floodgates locally for MMWD's multi-million dollar desal plant (with intake next to a sewer outlet, a bay so polluted with pesticides, herbicides, toxic metals, pharmaceuticals etc. that fisherman are advised not to fish out of it, nor people to swim in it- a project which our struggling residents, towns and infrastructure can ill afford in a failing economy. We cannot accept the parameters offered by this 'plan'-Kinsey needs to back off from accusing those who oppose it-of racism-we should be thinking outside the box which has been created to discuss this 'plan'. i do not believe that it is a plan to afford 'affordable' housing- I believe that it is a backdoor to subvert local governments deciding how and where they allow new housing. There is no offer of monies to pay for the infrastructure-sewers, schools, water- and who pays the cost? I think that those of us who oppose this plan need to start a website and sign a pledge to walk door to door to educate people, Yes- we do need workforce housing -let's find a way to subsidize it and cut out the middlemen- let's make local policy- town by town to meet local needs, and-if we are going to spend millions, let's have a public discussion. Many of them. It should go to a vote. But the 'One Bay Area' planners must not be allowed to control the ballot language. It must be put together by a group from all sides.
Tina McMillan May 21, 2013 at 11:03 am
I suspect this meeting is going to address recent comments by Adams that the infill development in…Read More San Rafael's low lying areas will be under water according to global warming theory. This issue was dismissed by other council members but if you want planning to dovetail with SB375 then you certainly wouldn't build homes in areas that may be under water.
How sad that the county can focus on a plan that encourages putting the homes of the most vulnerable populations alongside the freeway and in noisy, lackluster downtown areas lacking trees and open space.
The negative assumptions attached to people living into green areas seem like something out of a Woody Allen movie. Of course it is healthier to live in places where you have more open space, more trees, more plants, more animals and so on.
If we want walkable neighborhoods we can encourage small shopping centers nearby residential development by issuing zoning permits for retail/commercial. People should live further away from the freeway to avoid noise and poor air quality. What we should study is just how far away you have to live to avoid the negative health consequences of high density, urbanized housing.
Al Dugan May 13, 2013 at 08:32 pm
That is a very difficult time for folks that work for a living to make. Why doesn't this meeting…Read More happen after 5:30 pm so people can attend after work? This is an important supervisor meeting and the citizens of Marin deserve to hear the discussion and decisions on this issue.
Tina McMillan May 13, 2013 at 05:07 pm
No Jimmy. While southern Marin has Basic Aid Districts, Novato is a Low Wealth District. Our taxes…Read More don't begin to cover our education costs and never have. In the meantime with 34% of our students being socioeconomically disadvantaged we have test score in the elementary schools showing that we are not making sufficient progress specifically in English Language Arts. These schools and the district are in Program Improvement. The Title I funds that are being received through the Federal government have some schools getting five times the funding but still not raising test scores enough to satisfy NCLB requirements. In a few years NCLB will expire and the attention to the struggles of poor students in schools will no longer be on the front page. That doesn't mean that anything will be resolved or made different. Your cries of NIMBY are bigotry at its worst because you don't even know the specific issues of each community.
Having lived in Novato for 30+ years I can tell you that as a community Novato has given every possible advantage to affordable housing developers including 100% of the tax increment generated by the Redevelopment Agencies. This strategy has created a structural deficit as Novato has not been able to maintain a secure property tax base or a secure sales tax base. Our RHNA was reduced when our city council asked ABAG and backed their request with numbers to show what had been done.
Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty May 13, 2013 at 04:37 pm
Tina, it is hard to reply to every thing you mention, but let's look at water and over consumption…Read More of resources in Marin. I agree with you we need to deal with water conservation and stop thinking we can just turn on the facet and let it run, we are dealing with finite resources and we pretend we have a never-ending supply. So, I'll work with you on curbing excess water waste, which means behavioral changes in how we live.
As far as schools, the schools being looked at are Basic Aid Districts which means they have more money from property taxes than the state would give them. That is a good thing, they are better off than other districts that get funding from the state.
I think there are a few things we agree on and can work to imporve.
Eleanor Sluis May 13, 2013 at 04:21 pm
Increasing the number of cars is the reality, which the Sierra Club, Green Alliance, Economic…Read More Organizations, and business groups do not address in their fervor to build tacky, tall, 4-5 stories, segregated units on the highway, near the railroads, and at small shopping malls.
Smart Train voters said no the first time and yes to the propaganda the second time, which left out the connection to high density and more traffic leading to more not less green house gases.
Thanks, Tina and others who are adept at explaining the issues with the master plan for the Bay Area. Thanks to Pat Eklund, who is making a stand to limit traffic in Novato.
There is a need for new jobs to create better cars using lower gas emissions. Federal and state funds used for educating students in science and technology, engineering and biosciences help in solving the CO2 emissions.
Creating a university for these efforts is a better plan for the future than segregating minority populations. Integrating the minority within the towns with their cars for service use means that a balance is achieved.
The point is that each town decides what their budget may handle, and each town decides how to educate its population.
Karen Pavone May 7, 2013 at 02:13 pm
Nope. Nothing of the sort. I do not write or do my reviews with any bias in mind and I do not…Read More receive any compensation. It's a great product that stands on its own and I would still recommend it, friendship or no friendship. Thanks for reading.
Bubbasixpack May 5, 2013 at 10:54 am
Do you get a cut of the sale? You should get something for turning your blog into a sales pitch for…Read More your friend.
Karen Pavone May 3, 2013 at 01:42 pm
No question there are less expensive ways to make raised beds, Rico. I like the M braces because…Read More they are a quick solution, save time, and are recyclable. For me the ininitial investment will pay off over time. Thanks for reading!
Bren April 22, 2013 at 04:13 pm
Is anybody else here getting multiple e-mail notifications of new comments by Jo Tog, and then…Read More clicking the link, only to find that they are actually old comments from Jo Tog, but with today's date on them?
What's the deal? Did all his comments get flagged and deleted, and now he's re-posting them?
Most curious.
Sierra Salin April 22, 2013 at 02:02 pm
Jo Trog, we live in a Corporatocracy, not a republic. We abdicated the Republic after 9/11, if not…Read More before.
Know the difference.
Hiba April 21, 2013 at 06:52 pm
Banning the sale in a free market economy is too strong. I believe people should be able to choose…Read More so long as the product is labeled correctly, and even placed in a section with a big sign that says "GM Food products". Would I buy it if I pass the section at the grocery store: NO.
Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty May 21, 2013 at 01:43 pm
I hate to bring facts into the discussion as I realize it blows your cover...
In 2012, Americans…Read More took 10.5 billion trips on public transportation, the 2nd highest annual ridership number since 1957.
35 million times each weekday, people board public transportation.
From 1995 through 2012, public transportation ridership increased by 34%—a growth rate higher than the 17% increase in U.S. population and higher than the 22% growth in the use of the nation’s highways over the same period.
Public transportation is a $57 billion industry that employs nearly 400,000 people.
More than 7,300 organizations provide public transportation in the United States.
74% of public funding for public transit is spent creating and supporting hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs.
Public Transportation Enhances Personal Opportunities
Public transportation provides personal mobility and freedom for people from every walk of life.
Access to public transportation gives people transportation options to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or go to a doctor’s office.
Public transportation provides access to job opportunities for millions of Americans.
Public Transportation Saves Fuel, Reduces Congestion
Americans living in areas served by public transportation save 865 million hours in travel time and 450 million gallons of fuel annually in congestion reduction alone.
Without public transportation, congestion costs would have been an additional $21 billion.
Public Transportation Provides Economic Opportunities
For every dollar communities inves in public transportation generates approximatley $4 in economic returns.
Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates 36,000 jobs.
Every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased business sales.
Every $10 million in operating investment yields $32 million in increased business sales.
Public Transportation Saves Money
The average household spends 16 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 94% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
Public transportation provides an affordable, and for many, necessary, alternative to driving.
Households that are likely to use public transportation on a given day save more than $9,700 every year.
Public Transportation Reduces Gasoline Consumption
Public transportation’s overall effects save the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually.
Households near public transit drive an average of 4,400 fewer miles than households with no access to public transit. This equates to an individual household reduction of 223 gallons per year.
Public Transportation Reduces Carbon Footprint
Communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually: equivalent to New York City; Washington, DC; Atlanta; Denver; and Los Angeles combined stopped using electricity.
A single commuter switching his or her commute to public transportation can reduce a household’s carbon emissions by 10%, or up to 30% if he or she eliminates a second car. When compared to other household actions that limit CO2, taking public transportation can be 10 times greater in reducing this harmful greenhouse gas.
Richard Hall May 20, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Actually, just like SMART, the plan is more likely to increase congestion and CO2 emissions by…Read More diverting money away from highways into transit. Attempts so far in the Bay Area to subsidize transit have had this effect (they have failed):
1982 - 530m transit trips
2011 - 461m
Looking at transit %share of trips this also declined:
1980 - 11.6% used transit
2010 - 10.6% used transit
This despite the area's population growing.
The cost of congestion according to the Texas Transportation Institute consequently increased eight-fold between 1982 and 2007 - with the congestion causing untold CO2 emissions as cars are stuck in traffic (not to say inconvenience).
This essentially boils down to:
- Jimmy says we should all take transit, but he himself is driven in luxury cars to events that he attends
- Planners say we should all take transit, and make disproportionate investments in transit (that have been proven not to work)
Just like Jimmy many planners live in this Utopian ideal, pushing for transit use when people are time-focused and many trips aren't practical using transit so like Jimmy they end up using cars. Hence the title of this blog "planning for reality".
We are an innovative area that needs to recognize these realities instead of dwelling on sustainability dogma. To be truly sustainable we need to acknowledge these realities, only then can we build a truly effective plan.
Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty May 17, 2013 at 05:04 pm
Agenda 21 and Randal O'Tooles hogwash about chaining cars together, which is then just mass transit…Read More on a conveyer belt, which again is way more expensive than real mass transit like BART.
Richard, you have still not explained away the impact of your "No Plan". All the data shows increased congestion, increased GHG and continued sprawl. Just what the Birchers, Tea Party and Cato institute are calling for, and why... they can sell more oil... they don't want sustainable communities, mass transit and walkable communities.
I'm all ears, how will "No Plan" screw up the Bay Area?
Derek Sanders May 9, 2013 at 10:38 pm
MCE is a firehose of filth. There's nothing clean about them. Thanks for your work, Jim
Jim Phelps May 7, 2013 at 04:31 pm
Shell Oil and Marin Clean Energy recently extended their contract another 1-1/2 years.
John Parulis May 7, 2013 at 02:18 pm
Thanks Jim. MCE's customers should lobby their parent, Shell Oil, to stop despoiling the marine…Read More environment in Alaska. This is an environmental crime, unseen by supporters of "Marin Clean Energy".
Susan May 12, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Tsk, tsk, tsk. You left out the word communist, and you also neglected to blame President Obama.
Michael May 15, 2013 at 09:21 am
isn't it strange how we live in a culture where many still view burnt skin (nicely called a tan) as…Read More some kind of an attractive look? It's damaged skin we are looking at, not beauty. But young people believe they are invincible and it is only later in life when they need to go check those brown spots on their skin out. Start young and keep your skin healthy.
Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty May 17, 2013 at 05:14 pm
Richard, your Cato Institute Fellow is a sprawler, Novato Community Alliance has articles by Joel…Read More Kotkin, another pro-sprawler, and savemarinwood.org and 94903community.org both promote sprawling ideologies. So, I guess the people who label you are right on the money.
And yes, NIMBYISM does include racists as one of the many reasons people oppose anything in their neighborhoods, that much we've already proven.
What we still need to prove why NO PLAN is a better choice if all the metrics get worse and why you support "No Plan" knowing this.
I think it leads right back to nimbyism and classism and all the other isms exposed by code-words used by the NIMBY Coalition, CITIZEN Marin.
Jimmy Fishbob Geraghty May 5, 2013 at 05:54 pm
Robbie T
I always try to help Richard understand local Marin Issues. I hope he comes down to…Read More CMCM.tv and becomes a local producer himself, he'd find some like minded people there. There might even be a free orientation this Tuesday. I do hope he comes and participates, if only to prevent his mis-understanding of how the center works.
Robbie T May 5, 2013 at 05:46 pm
There's no point in responding. You're talking to people who think building any kind of mass…Read More transit is the same as "taking away your cars", and allowing the option to live in smaller houses closer to where they work will "force us into stack and pack housing".
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