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Home June 2006 |
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Greenbelt Newswire Photo of the Month
In this edition Volunteer of the Month: Gene Fruge A volunteer with a great idea and the expertise to carry it out does not walk through the front door of an organization every day—but that is exactly what Gene Fruge did several months ago at Greenbelt Alliance's South Bay field office. His idea was an environmental issues forum for the San Jose mayoral candidates and his expertise in outreach was a key component to the success of the event. On May 15th, over 150 people came to hear what four of the five candidates
had to say on environmental topics. The candidates fielded questions on
issues from growth and development in Coyote Valley and North San Jose
to parks and open space to the health issues that arise from air pollution.
One candidate commented it had been the most in-depth forum he had attended
to date. Gene was on hand to distribute the flyer to his many contacts,
reach out to the media, help set up and take photographs of the event.
His idea turned into a great opportunity to help identify the next leader
for San Jose as well as to highlight the issues Greenbelt Alliance has
been working on for many years in the South Bay. Gene's positive outlook
and go-getter attitude make for a wonderful volunteer. Thanks to Gene
for a job well done!
Announcement: Greenbelt Alliance Releases Landmark Smart Growth Scorecard Greenbelt Alliance has just released the Smart Growth Scorecard—a landmark assessment of the planning policies of all 101 cities and nine counties of the Bay Area—to learn how well the region is doing at pursuing smart growth. The Smart Growth Scorecard measures certain key city and county policies. It does not measure on-the-ground reality, political leadership, or implementation. Policies create the framework to make smart growth possible and provide the blueprints for how the region will grow in the future. The Scorecard evaluates cities in seven policy areas: Preventing Sprawl with Urban Growth Boundaries, Making Sure Parks Are Nearby, Creating Homes People Can Afford, Encouraging a Mix of Uses, Encouraging Density in the Right Places, Requiring Less Land for Parking, and Defining Standards for Good Development. The Scorecard evaluates counties in five policy areas: Managing Growth, Permanently Protecting Open Space, Preserving Farmland, Conserving Natural Resources, and Offering Transportation Choices. The Smart Growth Scorecard reveals that across the region, Bay Area cities could be doing much more to support smart growth. Of 101 cities, only 17 earn scores of 50% or more, out of a possible 100%. On average, cities score 34%, with only one-third of the needed policies to achieve smart growth. Bay Area counties on the whole are doing somewhat better than cities. On average, they score 51%, meaning they are doing half of what they could do to promote smart growth. To find out more about our results, you can read the report here.
Election Update: Big wins for Open Space and Land-Use Protections on the June 6th Election The June 6th election brought two important wins for Greenbelt Alliance and its allies. In Napa County, voters resoundingly defeated Measure A. 64% of voters rejected the drastic decrease in environmental and land use protections that would have resulted from the passage of this measure. The measure would have required the County to compensate property owners for any policies enacted that owners claimed would reduce the value of a property—effectively eliminating the government's ability to develop policies to strengthen environmental protections and/or focus growth in cities without bankrupting the county. In Santa Clara County, over 70% of voters approved a measure to extend a property tax set aside for the County's park system. This funding, which has been in place since 1972, provides key resources for protecting watersheds and wildlife, purchasing new park lands and rehabilitating existing park facilities. Santa Clara County has more than 45,000 acres of parkland, and this funding is essential to maintain and increase this great resource for the region.
Action Alert: Protect Open Space through the Sonoma County General Plan Despite some great progress on policies such as urban growth boundaries, many lands around the cities of Sonoma County are still at risk of sprawl development. The current revision of the Sonoma County General Plan provides an opportunity to create stronger protections for these areas. Greenbelt Alliance is working to expand these protections through enhanced community separators to protect the farmlands and open space around our cities. On July 18th, the County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on open space and resource conservation. A strong showing of local residents will show the Planning Commission the overwhelming support that exists for open space protection and city-centered growth. We encourage you to attend the meeting and show your support! The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 18th from 6-9pm at the Merlo Theater of the Wells Fargo (Luther Burbank) Center. Please contact Daisy Pistey-Lyhne, our Sonoma-Marin Field Representative, if you plan to attend or for more information at daisypl@greenbelt.org or (707) 575-3661.
Action Alert: Support Inclusionary Housing in Contra Costa County Contra Costa County now has a chance to help increase the ability of local residents and workers to continue to live in the communities they serve. This opportunity will translate into a better quality of life for all residents by reducing traffic congestion and pressure to build on open space. On July 18, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will consider an inclusionary housing ordinance. This ordinance will require all new housing developments to include more affordable homes, which will create more options for many people in Contra Costa, where ninety percent of residents cannot afford the average-priced home. This is a great opportunity to address Contra Costa County's housing
crisis and safeguard the County's economy, quality of life, and environment.
You can help!
Contact Kate O'Hara kohara@greenbelt.org for more information.
Announcement: New staff to lead CDT and Livable Communities Outreach Welcome to Marla Wilson, Greenbelt Alliance's new Livable Communities Outreach Coordinator! In this new position, Marla will coordinate our Compact Development Endorsement Team (CDT) and our expanding Livable Communities Outreach Team. These programs advocate for individual developments and plans that create livable communities and also educate residents and decision-makers about the benefits of these developments. Marla's extensive outreach, organizing, media and event planning experience from her work with the Alliance for Justice in Washington, DC will be a great contribution to the organization. Marla will be working closely with our teams of volunteers to increase the number of CDT endorsements per year and to shift our existing Urban Outings Programs into targeted outreach events in cities that are planning for development around new transit stations. We need your help to support good development and get more people involved and excited about improving their communities! If you are interested in getting involved with the CDT or with Livable Communities Outreach activities, please contact us at info@greenbelt.org.
Thank You: Great Online Survey Participation and Feedback! Thank you to everyone who took our online survey to help improve our website! You really came through for us. Over 250 people responded to the call, and we are eagerly poring over the results. Because of the great response, we decided to choose two winners. Congratulations to daley and happymermaid! We will be contacting you about your prize. Special note: if you asked us to contact you but did not sign up for future participation, we do not have your contact information as it was an anonymous survey. Please contact Miriam at mkronberg@greenbelt.org for more information.
Fri Jul 14: Dairy Delight Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support our work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make our cities better places to live. Click here to join or renew, or click here to join our Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club. Questions? Contact Brianna Swartz at 415-543-6771 or by email.
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