May 2013 - Transpo - list.sfgreens.org

CEQA UPDATE: Next Strategy Meeting & Hearing, Mon, May 13, 11:45am & 1:30pm, SF Main Library (Stong Room - 1st floor) & SF City Hall Rm 263 *AND* HPC Wed May 15, 12:30, Rm 400
by Eric Brooks 08 May '13

08 May '13

Hi again all, In Monday's Land Use Committee hearing, Supervisor David Chiu once again amended improvements into Supervisor Wiener's CEQA legislation, but once again he did not address the key fundamental remaining issues on which we must stand firm, and on which Jane Kim's measure is far superior. And Chiu yet again, only gave us a one week continuance when we needed two. NOTE: Kim's legislation also goes before the Historic Preservation Commission next Wednesday May 15th. (See next week's meeting and hearing info below.) Remaining Problems & Requirements As before, the most dangerous aspect of Wiener's legislation - the trigger of all appeals on the FIRST APPROVAL of a project - has -not- been removed. Other serious problems remain, such as too much CEQA judgement power being delegated to city departments, reduced noticing on projects within area plans, and project approvals being allowed during the CEQA appeal of a project. We must also insist on strong proactive language allowing us to appeal project modifications. And we must insist on sufficient time to add solid supports for affordable housing and pedestrian safety. So we are closer to the end of this, but still need to stay on top of it and push Chiu to make Jane's measure the foundation of the new CEQA procedures, and to give us the time to make this real by bringing Jane's measure to active status in committee on May 20th. Here are next week's meeting details: 1) PRE LAND USE (& HPC) CEQA STRATEGY MEETING - Monday, May 13, 11:45am - SF Main Library, Stong Room, 1st Floor (the SF Library is between United Nations Plaza & SF City Hall near Civic Center BART/Muni) 2) LAND USE COMMITTEE HEARING ON CEQA AMENDMENTS - Monday, May 13, 1:30pm - SF City Hall, Room 263 (to support FINAL APPROVAL TRIGGER & Kim's community alternative) 3) HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION HEARING ON KIM CEQA LEGISLATION - Wednesday, May 15, 12:30pm - SF City Hall, Room 400 (IMPORTANT: the HPC now appears to be stacked with developer rubber stamps and we need to put high pressure on this hearing) in solidarity! Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator, Our City 415-756-8844 -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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Fwd: Alert: Contact SF Supervisor David Chiu By Noon Mon, May 6, To Defend Environmental Quality Act
by Eric Brooks 06 May '13

06 May '13

Hi all, California's most important environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is under attack. In late August of last year, state Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) attempted to introduce legislation that would have greatly weakened CEQA, making it much harder for citizens and environmental groups to appeal bad corporate and developer projects that would harm ecosystems and communities. Thankfully, a statewide coalition of over 150 organizations was able to block that attack and protect CEQA at the state level. Local Attack On San Francisco CEQA Protections But only two months later, using the November and December election and holiday time as cover, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener launched his own attack locally to gut San Francisco CEQA protections. In the guise of cleaning up some small inefficiencies in the local CEQA process, Supervisor Wiener's proposed amendments would force environmental determinations on projects to happen so quickly and so removed from the sight of the public, that in many cases we would not even find out that a problem project was happening, let alone be empowered to challenge it. To take immediate action to help stop this attack on our local environmental protections go to: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq - or read on for more details. Local Coalition Rises Up To Defend CEQA In late October 2012, Our City brought together a new coalition that has now grown to over 41 environmental, social justice, community and labor organizations, which is fighting to defend our local CEQA protections. Together we have succeeded in drafting counter legislation to Wiener's attack measure. Our community-based CEQA alternative, now sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim, will make CEQA more fair and efficient, but also make local CEQA protections stronger (not weaker). But Supervisor Kim's measure is trailing Supervisor Wiener's proposal in the legislative process at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, creating the danger of Supervisor Wiener's bad legislation becoming law. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and our other San Francisco supervisors by noon Monday, May 6, to support Jane Kim's community alternative. Follow the link below to Sierra Club's easy to use CEQA action alert: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq Please forward this email widely. And as always, thank you for your continued involvement and action. peace Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator Our City -- This alert sent by: Our City 1104 Polk St. #225 San Francisco, CA 94109 415-756-8844 For more information about Our City campaigns go to: Web: http://ourcitysf.org FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/OurCitySF Twitter: http://twitter.com/OurCitySF -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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URGENT CEQA Update, & Alert To CONTACT Supervisor David Chiu ASAP!
by Eric Brooks 06 May '13

06 May '13

Hi all, It is very important that we all contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu immediately so that by Monday morning (before the Monday afternoon Land Use hearing) he has heard from us and our member groups. See contact info below. As you know, Supervisor Chiu's amendments to Scott Wiener's CEQA legislation (though they are a marked improvement) are not nearly enough. The Wiener/Chiu text still forces appeals on the -first- project approvals, does not contain a strong enough process to define first and last approvals, does not have strong enough language to guarantee rights to appeal major modifications in projects, and is much weaker in general on noticing and other responsibilities of the Planning Department. We must now refocus to insist on the following points: 1) The primary CEQA appeal must be allowed to be filed up to the -final- approval in multi-approval projects. 2) So that first and final approvals for projects are completely clear and understandable to the public, all planned approvals of multi-approval projects must be clearly listed in project application documents and environmental determination documents which are noticed to the public. 3) A second appeal -must- be allowed following any substantial modification in a project. This modification appeal trigger must be very well defined in the new ordinance, and the opportunity to appeal a modification must be available regardless of new environmental determinations by the Environmental Review Officer of the Planning Department. 4) The Planning Department must be the entity responsible for making and noticing the final environmental determinations on projects sponsored by other city agencies; not the other agencies themselves. 5) Jane Kim's public noticing requirements throughout her CEQA legislation are far superior to those in the Wiener/Chiu compromise and must be chosen as the core noticing provisions of the CEQA ordinance. IMPORTANT: We should all contact/call David Chiu's office from now through Monday morning to insist on these points, and to insist that we wait until May 20 to complete any CEQA ordinance in the Land Use Committee; this so that Jane Kim's legislation can be fully incorporated as the foundation of our CEQA improvements. TO CONTACT Board President David Chiu, write and/or call -both- David and his aide Amy Chan at: David.Chiu(a)sfgov.org Amy.Chan(a)sfgov.org Chiu's Office Phone: 415-554-7450 cheers Eric Brooks -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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Fwd: Alert: Contact SF Supervisor David Chiu By Noon Mon, May 6, To Defend Environmental Quality Act
by Eric Brooks 05 May '13

05 May '13

Hi all, California's most important environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is under attack. In late August of last year, state Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) attempted to introduce legislation that would have greatly weakened CEQA, making it much harder for citizens and environmental groups to appeal bad corporate and developer projects that would harm ecosystems and communities. Thankfully, a statewide coalition of over 150 organizations was able to block that attack and protect CEQA at the state level. Local Attack On San Francisco CEQA Protections But only two months later, using the November and December election and holiday time as cover, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener launched his own attack locally to gut San Francisco CEQA protections. In the guise of cleaning up some small inefficiencies in the local CEQA process, Supervisor Wiener's proposed amendments would force environmental determinations on projects to happen so quickly and so removed from the sight of the public, that in many cases we would not even find out that a problem project was happening, let alone be empowered to challenge it. To take immediate action to help stop this attack on our local environmental protections go to: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq - or read on for more details. Local Coalition Rises Up To Defend CEQA In late October 2012, Our City brought together a new coalition that has now grown to over 41 environmental, social justice, community and labor organizations, which is fighting to defend our local CEQA protections. Together we have succeeded in drafting counter legislation to Wiener's attack measure. Our community-based CEQA alternative, now sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim, will make CEQA more fair and efficient, but also make local CEQA protections stronger (not weaker). But Supervisor Kim's measure is trailing Supervisor Wiener's proposal in the legislative process at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, creating the danger of Supervisor Wiener's bad legislation becoming law. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and our other San Francisco supervisors by noon Monday, May 6, to support Jane Kim's community alternative. Follow the link below to Sierra Club's easy to use CEQA action alert: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq Please forward this email widely. And as always, thank you for your continued involvement and action. peace Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator Our City -- This alert sent by: Our City 1104 Polk St. #225 San Francisco, CA 94109 415-756-8844 For more information about Our City campaigns go to: Web: http://ourcitysf.org FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/OurCitySF Twitter: http://twitter.com/OurCitySF -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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URGENT CEQA Update, & Alert To CONTACT Supervisor David Chiu ASAP!
by Eric Brooks 05 May '13

05 May '13

Hi all, It is very important that we all contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu immediately so that by Monday morning (before the Monday afternoon Land Use hearing) he has heard from us and our member groups. See contact info below. As you know, Supervisor Chiu's amendments to Scott Wiener's CEQA legislation (though they are a marked improvement) are not nearly enough. The Wiener/Chiu text still forces appeals on the -first- project approvals, does not contain a strong enough process to define first and last approvals, does not have strong enough language to guarantee rights to appeal major modifications in projects, and is much weaker in general on noticing and other responsibilities of the Planning Department. We must now refocus to insist on the following points: 1) The primary CEQA appeal must be allowed to be filed up to the -final- approval in multi-approval projects. 2) So that first and final approvals for projects are completely clear and understandable to the public, all planned approvals of multi-approval projects must be clearly listed in project application documents and environmental determination documents which are noticed to the public. 3) A second appeal -must- be allowed following any substantial modification in a project. This modification appeal trigger must be very well defined in the new ordinance, and the opportunity to appeal a modification must be available regardless of new environmental determinations by the Environmental Review Officer of the Planning Department. 4) The Planning Department must be the entity responsible for making and noticing the final environmental determinations on projects sponsored by other city agencies; not the other agencies themselves. 5) Jane Kim's public noticing requirements throughout her CEQA legislation are far superior to those in the Wiener/Chiu compromise and must be chosen as the core noticing provisions of the CEQA ordinance. IMPORTANT: We should all contact/call David Chiu's office from now through Monday morning to insist on these points, and to insist that we wait until May 20 to complete any CEQA ordinance in the Land Use Committee; this so that Jane Kim's legislation can be fully incorporated as the foundation of our CEQA improvements. TO CONTACT Board President David Chiu, write and/or call -both- David and his aide Amy Chan at: David.Chiu(a)sfgov.org Amy.Chan(a)sfgov.org Chiu's Office Phone: 415-554-7450 cheers Eric Brooks -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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