Earth Day Special

Live Blogging with help from Local Asparagus, the Davis Bike Czarina and Councilman Max Headroom

In case you were unaware, today is Earth Day (soon to be renamed “St. Al of Gore Day” because he invented the environment and protection thereof.)  This is the one day of the year that we are allowed to pat ourselves on the back for all of the new and exciting things that we are doing to create a more sustainable planet.

Obviously, it is also a day of reflection for all of the things that we could be doing better.

This Earth Day, your Editor is attending an event at our Community Chambers.  We are currently celebrating Earth Day with a presentation from the Farmer’s Market people and soon we will have a  Joint Meeting of the Planning Commission and the City Council to hear a presentation about the finalized report from the General Plan Housing Element Update Steering Committee (how, where, and when we should build new housing units in Davis until the year 2013.)

After the jump, find all of the fun liveblogging details from Community Chambers on Earth Day and our how Councilman Max Headroom and his colleagues are going to solve all of our housing needs.

6:45pm – I just arrived to find our city’s once threatened GEM fleet on full display outside of Community Chambers (behind City Hall).  The bike racks are also quite full.  Several of our esteemed members of the self-named “far-left progressive” community just showed up in their gas-guzzling vehicles.  Your editor arrived on his sexy, new bicyle.

6:48 – Randii MacNear, Director of the Davis Farmer’s Market, is presiding over a huge array of fresh food and making a presentation to the City Council / Planning Commission.

“Davis was one of the first Farmers’ Markets certified in California in 1971.  Out of 530 markets currently in California, our is the only covered market because of the partnership between the City and the Davis Farmer’s Market.”

She’s got lots of fresh food created by local chefs from local foods, but only enough for our officials.  Regular folk will have to fend for ourselves.

7:05pm – Council is taking a recess to eat their fancy foodstuffs.

7:06pm – I’m sitting next to Tara Goddard, the City of Davis Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator.  If she keeps doing her job right, she’ll soon qualify for Dalebrity status.  I took the opportunity to ask about two bike issues that have been burning my brain.

Question #1 – I’ve been advocating double-lined bike lanes for years.  Recently, I’ve noticed some new double lanes in the core area.  Is that due to my tireless advocacy?  What’s the story?  When will every street in Davis have double bike-lanes?

Answer – I’ve never seen you at a Bicycle Advisory Commission Meeting, so tireless advocacy might be a reach.  Maybe you’ve got a grass-roots thing going on.  The new double-striped bike lanes were intended for the now cancelled “Pilot Green Waste Containerization Project” area.  These streets, centered around Oak & 8th, will make it easier to ensure that bike lanes are not obstructed by green waste, trash cans, and parked vehicles.

Question #2 – What do you think about closing 3rd Street and C Street to automobiles on Saturdays?

Answer – I think it’s a great idea.  Why don’t you activate your grassroots action committee and make it happen?

How do you know that I haven’t already pressed the activation button, Tara?

7:20pm – And we’re back.  It’s time for Council Communications.  Apparently,  Mayor Sue Greenwald recently appointed the honorable Councilman Stephen Souza as a permanent member of the LAFCo committee.  from wikipedia.org,

A Local Agency Formation Commission (or LAFCo) is one of several decision making government entities in California with the responsibility to decide boundary issues pertaining to city and county (non-incorporated) lands, including spheres of influence, and issues about the annexation of county lands into a city or special district.

7:22 – Lamar Heystek is in the house via video teleconference.  It’s kinda weird, but these are the crazy modern times that we live in – televidcommuting is here to stay.  But wouldn’t it be cooler if you got patched in with some Max Headroom editing?

7:40 – The presentation on the Housing Element Update begins.  Bob Wolcott (city staff), Kevin Wolf (Chair) and Mark Siegler (Vice-Chair) are making the presentation.  You can download the entire presentation here (pdf).

7:54pm – Kevin Wolf:  The recommendation is to use the ranked groups of 36 sites to prioritize new housing starts to fulfill the City’s housing needs.  Ask for projects from the Priority List first.  If the owners of those areas are unwilling or unable to develop / redevelop to fulfill housing goals, then you ask to hear from the Secondary List site owners.

8:04pm – Initiate a comprehensive General Plan update in 2009 by addressing the other factors outside of housing.

8:10pm – I’ve been busy looking for the perfect Max Headroom picture, but Kevin just caught my attention with reference to one of my pet ideas:  Support the community-based farms concept on the edge of the city.

8:19pm – Councilman Headroom just left his video screen.  Where did he go?  What is he doing?

8:21pm – Who said that these City Council meetings are boring?  I see at least two kids in the audience who are watching movies on their portable screens with headphones.

8:22pm – Councilman Headroom is back in his screen.  Where did he go?  What did he do?

8:23pm – Bob Wolcott is telling the Mayor that tonight is not the night to debate the merits of specific sites.  Staff thinks that the next step is to take questions on process.

8:26pm – Councilman Souza has suggested that we allow for public comment now.

8:32pm – Several senior citizens have come forward and spoken quite eloquently about the need for a site that is dedicated to a continuum of care, non-institutional, ownership based, senior citizen’s neighborhood.

8:35pm – Bob Chasen, for ED of the UC Davis Medical Center, is giving a many-reasoned argument to support the North Davis Land Company’s vision for the Covell/Pole Line site.

8:45pm – Your editor just spoke in Public Comment… ahhh, what a rush every time.  Now, another recess, time to chat with the other political animals.

9:02pm – Back from recess, your editor just scored some asparagus and other veggie goodness from the Farmer’s Market.

9:03pm – It’s question time from the Commission and Council.

9:21pm – Your editor’s attention is wandering.

9:30pm – Commissioner Mike Levy asks a great question, “How confident are you that these rankings should be followed in a rigid order?”  Mark Siegler gave a telling answer that basically recognized that the groupings were more important than the actual ranking.

9:34pm – Councilman Headroom just answered a phone in his fancy hotel room.  Did he know we could hear him?  Who called?  What did they want?

9:36pm – Most of the discussion is based on the process of how the different site rankings should actually be used when the Planning Commission and Council are presented with development options by landowners.  It is all very important procedural information, just a little too late in the day for most of us without an injection of coffee.

But have no fear, dear reader: I’ll be reviewing the videocast (with the Councilman Headroom videocast embedded within) at some future date when I’m fresh and ready for the steamy nature of procedural talk.

9:50pm – Ok, I’m still here.  Councilmember Souza just led an instructive line of questioning.  As it turns out, only the peripheral land site owners were asked if they were interested in building before 2013.  The internal site owners (DJUSD, PG&E, etc) were NOT asked if they had any desire to build in the next five years.

9:51pm – Councilmember Headroom is not answering the Mayor.  Does he still have hearing?  Are we on mute and he is listening to German techno music?

Ok, I’m really signing off now.  Good night, dear reader.  Good night, Councilman Headroom.  Councilman Headroom, are you there?  Councilman Headroom, are you ok?  Hello?  Hello?