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This week for the first time in a long time the
Council agenda is relatively benign and even has some outstanding news --
St. Helena may get the HERO Program - voting is Tuesday, 6PM,
Vintage Hall. This will mean that regular folks will be able to buy solar
for their houses, energy efficient appliances, a recharging station and
water conservation equipment with the cost added to their property taxes
over a long period of time. We must all thank Toby Ross, the Interim City
Manager, for his leadership -- he has moved forward, not backward; added,
not subtracted; been inclusive, not divisive. We can only hope the
next City Manager will have similar intelligent expertise.
A few thought starters in the meantime:
1. TRANSFORM.
This is an organization that works with communities to make facing climate
change, matching jobs with housing and new forms of transportation a total
win-win for everyone in the location. There are ways to make it all
work; they're just not being applied here.
2. Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy
Americans, a much-studied treatise from Northwestern
University of March 2013. In this time of gauging the effects on
money on politics, it is a good read.
3. The
Metropolitan Transportation Commission has released the Draft 2015
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Draft Transportation-Air
Quality Conformity Analysis for Plan Bay Area for public review and
comment. The comment period started June 26, 2014, and closes July 31,
2014, at 5:00 p.m. Here is the whole Transit Improvement Plan.
Here are the highlights re St. Helena --
not much will happen here. In fact, contrary to the
"growth" fears of some locals, it is obvious from the
latest maps, statistics and transportation plans that we are off the growth
radar almost completely, with all the demand and planning focused on large
urban cities. Unfortunately, this also means we can look forward to little relief
from funding agencies for our traffic jams or more forms of public
transportation. To see the big picture, check at the maps in the link
above.
4. Our Unique Voting Problem. Please
make sure everyone in your family is registered to vote.
Sandy
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