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Volume IV, Issue 4 - October, 2003
THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL
GOALS AND POLICY REPORT AND AB 857:
A STATE VISION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Contents
- Governors, Governments, and an Active California Civic Movement
Citizen involvement is critical to meet our challenges.
by Nick Bollman
- The EGPR and AB 857: Aligning State Government with a
Sustainable Vision
An opportunity to align state government with sustainable policy
and practice.
A. What are AB 857 and the EGPR?
B. "The Year of the Planner": The EGPR
as part of a greater realignment
of state policy
- Regions in Action: Regional Dialogues on the EGPR and AB 857
California's regions engaging with this state policy process.
- Implementation and Next Steps
Effective implementation of the EGPR and AB 857 is crucial.
- Regional News and Information
The latest news and information from California's Regional Collaboratives
and other CCRL strategic regional partners.
A. Upcoming Events
B. Recent Events
C. Resources
D. Projects
I.
Governors, Governments, and an Active California
Civic Movement
by Nick Bollman, President & CEO, CCRL
 The
recall election is a watershed political and electoral event for the
State of California. Whether voters are in favor of the recall or not,
and whomever they prefer as Governor, there is no question that Californians
across the board are fed up with the failure of the current political,
electoral, and legislative systems to address and resolve the state's
fundamental challenges. But let us not draw the wrong lesson from this
experience.
Yes, gubernatorial leadership is absolutely essential for solving fundamental
problems -- and the authority and prerogatives imbedded in the "Governorship" can
be a powerful instrument for change. No doubt too that legislative leadership
and cooperation, with the Governor and across party lines, are essential
for developing and adopting bold policy reforms. Active partnership between
state and local government throughout the regions of California is also
necessary if reforms are to be implemented in a manner that makes a real
difference in our communities and our lives.
On the other hand, solving problems is a shared responsibility,
not to be left to government alone. Even effective government cannot meet
our challenges without the active involvement of citizens, our businesses
and our civic associations. At CCRL we have the good fortune to work
with a wide range of civic organizations across the state, most especially
the 21 Regional Collaboratives in the California Regional Network. We
have seen time and again, and in every corner of the state, how an informed
and active citizenry can produce the innovative ideas, the commitment
to active collaboration, and the results that Californians are looking
for.
Whatever the outcome on October 7, only a Governor and Legislature committed
to a problem-solving partnership with the civic leaders of the state
will be successful. Conversely, any elected official who fails to take
advantage of the wisdom of California's civic movement is doomed
to further frustration and failure.
We urge all Californians to VOTE -- make your voices heard. But don't
stop there. Get informed. Get involved. Demand that elected officials
welcome your advice and activism. This great unfolding California experiment
in democracy deserves no less.
II. The EGPR and AB 857: Aligning State Agencies
with a Sustainable Vision
Though the talk around the water cooler may be all about the recall
election, there are monumental changes in state land-use policy swirling
just under the surface. And because this revolution is driven by existing
law, chances are good that it will move inexorably forward.
Last year, the Legislature passed with bipartisan support, and the Governor
signed, the most important California land-use law in the past
30 years -- AB
857. This law and the upcoming release of the Environmental Goals and
Policy Report present a state vision for sustainable land-use policy
and priorities and direct state agencies to carry out this vision in
their budgets, capital plans, and regulatory decisions in a manner that
integrates across the agencies. Properly implemented, this process
enables California to take a giant step forward toward better planning,
smarter
investment, and, ultimately, more livable communities.
The EGPR and AB 857 will put state government squarely behind the idea
of sustainable
development and create important new opportunities
for state agencies to align with California's regions to achieve
a more sustainable future.
But, you may still ask, what about the recall election? Whether the
Governor remains in office or is replaced, it is imperative that the
state follow through in implementing this report, so that the three priorities
of AB 857, approved by the Legislature and the Governor, are instilled
deeply, widely, and consistently into state planning and practice.
A.
What are AB 857 and the EGPR?
"This EGPR is about changing
the way that state government conducts itself."
--
Draft EGPR, 2003
AB 857 established three overarching priorities for state
government in land-use and development decisions:
- Promote infill development and equity
- Protect environmental and agricultural
resources
- Encourage
efficient development patterns
AB 857 also mandates the preparation of a new Environmental
Goals and Policy Report (EGPR). Fortunately, this task
has fallen to the Governor's Office of Planning and Research,
which created a broad-based advisory process, bringing in stakeholders
and state
agencies to seek the best ideas for implementation. This
is a "new
governance" approach, based on the idea that implementation
is a shared responsibility across state agencies, yes,
but also between the state government, regional agencies, and local
governments and
between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The
EGPR provides a 20- to 30-year overview of state growth and development,
and uses
the values framework of the three E's -- environment, economy
and equity -- to understand and address issues such as: planning
to accommodate projected population growth; producing
an adequate supply of housing affordable to all; using land, water,
energy, and
other scarce resources more efficiently in all settings;
reinvesting in urban areas; improving infrastructure planning and
investment;
linking "quality of land use" to economic competitiveness;
making "legacy" commitments to land and habitat conservation;
and other issues so critical to the future of California.
The report aims to bring much-needed consistency to government land-use
decisions by going straight to the heart of how state agencies operate:
all agency budget requests and functional plans must align with
the EGPR policies by 2005. For example, Caltrans will have to consider these factors
not only in their plans for highway construction, but also in the design
of their new office buildings, their community outreach, their purchasing,
and -- perhaps most importantly -- their coordination with
local and other state agencies. And while local governments are not in
the purview of the EGPR, it will be impossible for the regions to not
feel its effects, since the state agencies the report does influence
will be required to overhaul their methods of planning and budgeting.
For regional agencies and local governments that have embraced
the concept of sustainable development, this change will be welcome;
for those who
haven 't done so, they will now have good reason to consider it.
A Note: Although the EGPR was already required
under existing law prior to AB 857, the last time this report was
produced, Jerry Brown was still in Sacramento and bell-bottoms were
the height of fashion. That 1978 EGPR was well ahead of its time,
but largely ignored for many years. For example, it proposed a state
Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank - an idea finally adopted
in 1999 - which now is a financing authority that helps to provide
low-cost funds to qualified local governments, manufacturing companies,
and nonprofit organizations. The 1978 EGPR is available at http://www.opr.ca.gov/publications/
PDFs/urban_strategy.pdf.
B. "The Year of the Planner": The EGPR as
part of a greater realignment of state policy
At the same time as they are putting together the EGPR, OPR is knee-deep
in what has become the most comprehensive revisiting
of state planning practices in the past two decades. In addition to the EGPR, OPR is working
on:
- The latest iteration of General Plan Guidelines.
- New LAFCO guidelines,
the first ever developed by the state.
- Amendments
to the guidelines for compliance with the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
in conjunction with the Resources Agency.
- Providing
input on the 5-year state water plan, the first-ever
state energy plan, and the
state transportation plan.
- Assisting Cal/EPA in developing
a new environmental justice strategy.
What will this mean? Because all of these documents are
being developed at the same time, the ideas in each will feed into each
other. Together, they provide the opportunity to reshape state planning
practices and agency programs. Because the EGPR will list the state's
goals and policies -- its "beliefs" -- in land
use and sustainability, it is the key component to ensuring that the
principles and practices of sustainable communities are carried forward.
III. Regions in Action: Regional Dialogues on the EGPR and AB 857
During Spring and Summer 2003, the California Policy Reform Network
(of which CCRL is a member), in cooperation with OPR and several Regional
Collaborative members of the new California Regional Network, put together
a series of regional dialogues about the EGPR and AB 857. The regional
dialogues brought together local civic, business, and community leaders
with the staff leaders at OPR directly responsible for producing the
EGPR, so that each could learn from the other about how the state could
help regions achieve more sustainable development. These dialogues were
vital in helping to ensure that the unique concerns of California's
regions are incorporated into the EGPR. The entire process represents
a new step forward in California governance: region-based state policy.
- Pajaro Valley, April 17 (co-sponsored by Action Pajaro Valley):
The broad array of local leaders and land-use experts
in attendance voiced their concerns for disappearing agricultural
land, but added
that housing for farm workers and other elements of
a healthy farm economy are just as critical to the
region's
well-being. Another problem is that school board districts are allowed
by the state to
site their buildings without looking at the larger
picture, often driving housing into open-space areas. On the other
hand, they pointed
to a successful partnership with state agencies in
flood plain planning as a model for how AB 857 should be implemented.
"Regional action happens
via communication and collaboration, and sometimes a bulldog
role
from the state."
-
Attendee at Pajaro Valley Regional Dialogue
- San Francisco Bay Area, May 1 (at a meeting
of the Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities): Tal
Finney, OPR's interim director, discussed AB 857 and
OPR's
current projects. One major concern heard was that long,
drawn-out CEQA
reviews tend to push developers out toward greenfield
development over infill housing. Regional air quality,
they said, suffers
as a result, and commuting times get longer and longer.
Alliance members also expressed hope that the state
could encourage regional
visioning projects like the Alliance's Regional Livability
Footprint Project.
- Sacramento Area, July 16 (co-sponsored by Valley
Vision and CPRN): In this region, state employment and buildings
have a huge impact not only on the local economy, but on the
shape of the community and its
quality of life. Community leaders let OPR representatives
know that the cheapest decision isn't always the right
one, even if state project
managers' hands are often tied because they have to
accept the lowest bid. State building plans also need
to meet all of the priorities
set forth in AB 857. Green building design and operations
are an important advance, but siting of state buildings
(for example, to improve the
jobs-housing balance) is also crucial. Achieving one
or even two of AB 857
's priorities just isn't good enough.
- San Diego, August 8 (co-sponsored by San Diego
Dialogue and the Quality of Life Coalition): Of specific interest
to this region was how its close relationships with
Mexico and the military would
be reflected in the EGPR. The topic of school siting
was also of particular interest for San Diego, especially
since, with a scarce supply of
buildable land in urbanized areas, a significant amount
of affordable housing has been lost in the region to
accommodate new schools. Attendees
at the regional dialogue noted that the local response
to that problem, a Joint Powers Authority established
by the city and the school district
to replace that housing and cooperate in building schools
that use land efficiently, is a good idea that OPR
should consider in writing
the EGPR.
IV. Implementation and Next Steps
As of this writing, OPR has committed to delivering the Draft EGPR
to the Governor in early October. They have presented
early drafts for comment and discussion to a Stakeholders Advisory Group,
of which CCRL
President Nick Bollman is a member. CCRL, with the guidance
and input of leaders from thirteen regions, submitted "Commentaries
from the Regions" on these draft sections that provided greater context
for the EGPR, recommended case studies of effective collaboration
between state agencies and the regions, and suggested goals and policies
from
a regional perspective. These Commentaries are available
on our website at http://www.calregions.org/publications.html#growth.
It will be just as important that we press ahead in effective
implementation of the EGPR and AB 857. OPR intends to recommend
that an Executive Order from the Governor be issued
to augment the present momentum and provide
state agencies with further direction in aligning themselves
with the EGPR's policies before the 2005 statutory deadline.
We will continue to keep track of developments, especially following
the release of the EGPR. Look for more information in future editions
of CalRegions.
V. Regional News and Information
Old Friend, New Job -- Joint Venture: Silicon Valley has announced
that Russell Hancock will be its new President & CEO. Dr. Hancock,
most recently director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Forum
at Stanford University, is also a former Vice President
of the Bay Area Council.
Marguerite Wilbur, who served as CEO and COO, will continue
as a consultant to Joint Venture.
A. Upcoming Events
- The need for better investment in our workforce has
never been greater. The Orange County Business Council,
in cooperation with the Orange County Workforce Investment
Board and others, will bring
the business community together with the County's education
agencies to discuss the latest State of the County: Workforce
2003 report and where improvements can be made. This
event will be held Wednesday, October
8, from 7:30-10:00 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.
Register at http://www.imakenews.com/ocbc/
e_article000183626.cfm?x=a2897vJ,aRCQc59.
- It may be the industry of the future, but what does the
region have to do to grow and sustain biotechnology? The
San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership's "Economic
Outlook Conference 2003" promises to answer these questions,
as it focuses on "Biotechnology
Emerges: Its Future in the San Gabriel Valley." Find out
more about the conference, which will take place Tuesday,
October 14, in City of Industry, at http://www.valleyconnect.com/event.aspx?event_id=8.
- The Transportation and Land Use Collaborative of Southern
California will hold a conference about "Latino New Urbanism" on
Friday, October 17 (pre-event reception on Oct. 16),
at the University of Southern California. This forum, the first of
several on this topic,
will seek to discuss the nexus between the growing
Latino population and future development patterns in
Southern California. Information
and registration are available at http://www.tluc.net/lnu/.
- The California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission (CDIAC)
of the State Treasurer's Office will host a one-day program
on Friday, October 17, in Los Angeles dedicated to
providing local government officials with "Tools to Revitalize
California Communities." This
day-long program will include panel-style presentations
and roundtable sessions focusing on information for loans, grants
and programs offered
through state debt authorities. For more information
please contact Lisa M. Harris at (916) 653-3269 or visit CDIAC's
website at http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/cdiac.
- "Which Way California?" asks the South Bay 2004
Economic Forecast Conference, to be held at the Torrance
Marriott on Wednesday, October 22, by the South Bay Economic Development
Partnership.
Register online at http://www.regonline.com/?9928 or
call (310) 792-0323.
- Orange County will predict future issues and concerns
for future growth and development at its own Economic
Forecast Conference, "Emerging
Economic Recovery: Implications for Orange County," sponsored
by the Orange County Business Council and the College
of Business and Economics at Cal State Fullerton. Join
them Tuesday, October 28,
from 7 to 10 a.m., at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Buy
tickets online at http://www.ocbc.org/eupdatef.htm.
- Southern
California Compass is more than a visioning project.
It is a series of planning workshops where
individual residents work together using the
latest technology to put their stamp
on the
future growth of the huge Southern California region.Two of these public workshops are coming up soon: for the Four Corners area on
October 29 in Diamond Bar, and for the South Bay on
October 30 in
Torrance. Find out about them and register online at
http://www.socalcompass.org/events/index.php.
- It's not just about the gadgets -- really.
New technologies and techniques are continually improving our ability
to involve more people in planning and decisions, analyze how policy decisions
impact
development, and build agreement among stakeholders.
Take a look at the cutting edge at the 5th Working Session of Tools
for Community Design and Decision Making: Information Technology
in Action, December
11-13 at the San Francisco Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel.
Find out more or register at http://www.placematters.us/
Documents/EVENTS/OpenUpcoming.html
B. Recent Events
- On July 16, the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando
Valley packed the room with engaged citizens for its
conference on "Our
Future Neighborhoods." Assembly Speaker Emeritus Robert Hertzberg
helped out by moderating the panel, and the Urban Design
Assistance Team presented its draft report. But, what
had the audience energized
was the release of a report by the Economic Alliance
and the Pepperdine School for Public Policy, also called
Our Future Neighborhoods, that
looks at the present and future of housing in the Valley
and calls for greater efforts at fostering communities
through the creation of urban
villages.
- School buildings can be nearly as important to communities
as what is inside of them. On July 25, people attending
a conference in Sacramento called "Collaborative Planning
and Joint-Use Facilities" grappled with policy ideas that
could help to foster these cutting-edge ideas. The
event was hosted by the Cities
Counties Schools Partnership and cosponsored by the
California Policy Reform Network.
- What does the Inland Empire look like after the rapid
change of the last few years, and what will the future
be? Regional leaders discussed answers to both questions
at the Inland Empire
Visioning Summit: "Breaking the Mold" on September
5. Following the release of the Inland Empire 2003
Indicators Report, participants identified their visions
for the future and mapped
specific strategies to help achieve them. The event
was sponsored by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership
- http://www.ieep.com.
- The Fresno
Regional Jobs Initiative, which is dedicated to creating
25,000-30,000 net new jobs in the region
in the next five years, held a "Jobs Summit" at the
Fresno Convention Center on September 12. Attendees
discussed the preliminary RJI
strategy. Find out more about the RJI at http://www.fresnorji.org.
- Following the enormous success of its first stage (more
than 1500 participants in 25 community meetings),
the Sacramento Regional Blueprint Project held a
meeting on September 18 at the
Sierra Health Foundation to plan for its next series
of workshops, these at the county level. The Blueprint
Project (http://www.sacregionblueprint.org),
sponsored by Valley Vision, the Sacramento Area Council
of Governments,
and many other community partners, convenes citizens
to make development and growth choices about the future
of the Sacramento region.
- Call it the Sustainability Road Show: From September 30
to October 2, Great Valley Center held a series of
three workshops in Modesto, Fresno, and Bakersfield
called "Planning, Designing,
Building, and Profiting with New Technologies." Developers and
planners learned how new communications and energy
technologies can increase profits from new residential
and commercial developments
while addressing the region's air quality and economic development
challenges.
C. Resources
- Douglas Henton, John Melville, and Kim Walesh have written
a new book, Civic Revolutionaries: Igniting the Passion
for Change in America's Communities, that is "a practical
guide for renewing the great American tradition of spirited,
breakthrough community leadership." It's
a must-read, especially the sections on CCRL and several
Regional Collaboratives! Read excerpts and order it
online at http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/
WileyTitle/productCd-0787963933.html.
- Gateway
Cities Partnership, Inc., has revamped its website,
located at http://www.gatewaycities.org. Take a look
and find out about their great work in workforce, financial services, sustainability,
brownfields,
and business assistance -- including several must-read reports
in English and Spanish!
- A new report, Labor Leaders
as Smart Growth Advocates, from Good Jobs First suggests
that labor leaders are
deeply interested in land use and sprawl issues and are increasingly involved
in coalition
activities to advance Smart Growth. Interestingly,
7 of the 50 labor leaders interviewed are from California, including a noted
leader in
the field, John Dalrymple from the Contra Costa Labor
Council. Over the past year, the California Works Foundation, the "think
tank" of
the State Labor Council, has been a partner with CCRL
and others in the California Policy Reform Network
(www.calpolicyreform.net), an effort
to bring civic leaders into growth and infrastructure
policy reform activities.
- The September newsletter from the San Francisco Planning
and Urban Research Association (SPUR), a well-respected "think
tank" on planning and development in the city, focuses on
the successes, evolution, and potential of regionalism. With a special focus on regional governance, the newsletter
includes the
text of a speech by Portland Metro Council President
David Bragdon, an update on the ABAG-MTC talks, and
more.
- More and more people are
talking about ... tax policy.
The Tax Policy Group of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley
has released two
new documents that are designed to stimulate debate
and lead to a deeper understanding of current tax and
fiscal systems and issues. The Tax Principles
Workbook: A Tool for Critiquing Tax & Fiscal
Proposals (online at http://www.jointventure.org/taxpolicyworkbook/)
provides a guide for analyzing tax proposals against
the principles of good tax policy. The report Current
Tax, Accounting & Fiscal
Issues Facing California and Its Businesses: A Guide
to Understanding Key Issues explains aspects of current
tax and fiscal issues to
highlight the importance of improving and updating
our federal, state and local tax and fiscal systems.
- Bruce Katz, Director of the Center on Urban and Metropolitan
Policy, outlined ten steps to urban land reform in
a presentation given in July 2003 to the Vacant Land Forum. His
PowerPoint presentation
is available at http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/
speeches/20030709_katzvacantland.htm.
It highlights the steps with innovative case studies
and programs from cities and counties that are struggling with
vacant land and
brownfields.
D. Projects
- The volunteer leaders of Sonoma County Vision have
worked for several years to formulate a common vision
of the County's
future that would protect its quality of life, enhance
its vitality, and seek to ensure its sustainability.
Now, they have produced just
that: five "Sonoma Principles" plus forward-looking goals
and commitments that set priorities, and specific measures
to monitor progress toward the goals. The Vision Integration
Team of SCV recently
made the decision to finalize their work and close
the project.
- Many
familiar Regional Collaboratives are among the
SoCal groups that have come together to form the
Keystone Group, which seeks to improve the business
climate in California. The group will
conduct
research on the reasons that businesses fail or leave
the state in order to find preventative strategies. An announcement of the group's
establishment was posted on Planetizen at http://www.planetizen.com/announce/item.php?id=564&rf=e.
- Following
several months of work, a Regional Economic Strategic
Leadership Team (RESuLTs) has outlined
a new strategy and recommended four new initiatives to help Silicon Valley to
rebuild its
economy, create more jobs, and improve the area's quality
of life in the new economic reality. Joint Venture:
Silicon Valley Network has released its third Next
Silicon Valley paper, Building the Next Silicon
Valley: Strategy and Actions, which describes this
strategy and recommendations. Find it at http://www.jointventure.org/nsv/buildingNSV2003.pdf.
- Cabrillo
College's Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy, an
innovative computer technician training program,
has received an award letter from the National Science Foundation granting
them $749,000
over three years. The WDBA offers a carefully sequenced
training program
of academic support, training in how to grow in self-knowledge
and self-discipline, work experience, and student support to prepare students
to be effective
Computer and Information Systems support technicians.
Find out more at http://www.cabrillo.cc.ca.us/~wdba/index.html.
- Monthly meetings
of the Agricultural Stewardship Roundtable, convened
by Valley Vision as part of its Green Valley
Alliance project, have focused attention on the rural component
of regional planning in
the Sacramento area.
- The
Fresno Area Community Regional Initiative and its sponsor, the Fresno
Business Council, have
joined forces with other regional civic groups to create Fresno Citizens
for Good Government.
They seek "to provide a powerful, non-partisan
voice for citizens who wish to encourage our elected
officials to exercise community stewardship
in pursuit of solutions that are in the best
interests of the totality of their community," especially
visionary leadership and comprehensive
solutions. Interested? Find out more at
http://www.fcgg.org
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