Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Grant Funding Workshop on Housing Related Parks and Recreation Projects September 7, 2010

ABAG Conference Room 171
101 Eighth Street, Oakland

Elected officials and staff are invited to attend a workshop about Housing-Related Parks (HRP) Program grant funding on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, in ABAG Conference Room 171. The HRP Program provides grant funding to cities and counties for parks and recreation projects. Workshop attendees will learn more about eligibility requirements for HRP Program grant funds and application guidelines. The workshop will be presented by the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Copies of the HRP Program Notice of Funding Availability are on the Department of Housing and Community Development’s website. Register for the workshop by completing and returning the registration form . For more information, please contact Lindy Suggs at 916-3272641 or lsuggs@hcd.ca.gov.

Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Early-Bird Registration Deadline September 8th for
6th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference 2010 on Ecosystem Sustainability

September 27 – 29, 2010
Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street
Elected officials and staff are invited to attend the 6th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference 2010 from September 27 – 29th at the Sacramento Convention Center. Attendees can save money with early-bird registration through September 8, 2010, by registering at http://baydeltascienceconf.com/. Registration fees include conference program, lunch, and receptions.

“Ecosystem Sustainability: Focusing Science on Managing California’s Water Future” is the overall conference theme. During this informative conference, expert speakers and panelists will present scientific data on water and the environment to guide decision-making in the Bay-Delta system. The conference will provide new Bay- Delta study results, model simulations, and data to the broad community of scientists, engineers, resource managers, and stakeholders. Click here to view the confernce program. For more information, visit the conference website.

Posted Thursday, August 12, 2010

Climate Policy and Transportation: Building a Clean, Green and Smart West Coast Corridor
Stanford Conference on Climate Policy and West Coast Transportation

Thursday, September 16th -- Friday, September 17th
8:00 a.m.
Stanford University, McCaw Hall
450 Serra Mall, Palo Alto

Government officials, industry executives, and advocates are invited to learn more about transportation related climate regulations and explore innovative solutions to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions at the Climate Policy and Transportation conference from September 16th – 17th in Palo Alto. State and federal legislators, federal environmental agency leaders, regional leaders, port directors, automakers, alternative fuel advocates, and environmental organizations will provide an overview on implementation of transportation related energy and climate policy measures to meet greenhouse gas emissions goals and regulations.

Highlights of this timely two-day conference include an overview of the economic, security and environmental impacts of oil. Attendees will learn about alternative fuel and electric vehicles. Speakers will describe the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) clean air initiatives for transportation. Speakers will also discuss the process for establishing the next set of national emissions and fuel economy standards under the President’s May 21st directive. The Pacific Coast Collaborative Climate Action Plan signed this year by the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington and the premier of British Columbia will be discussed along with next steps. The conference will also highlight congressional action on climate and energy legislation. Click here to view the full agenda.

The Climate Policy and Transportation conference, which is co-sponsored by ABAG, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, U.S. Department of Energy and others, is brought to the Bay Area by the West Coast Corridor Coalition (WCCC), an organization comprised of public and private transportation related organizations on the West Coast concerned with improving mobility in a clean, green and smart manner. The conference registration fee is $175 and online registration is located at www.regonline.com.

Posted Monday, August 9, 2010

Be Recognized for Local Government Leadership on Climate Change

The Institute for Local Government’s California Climate Action Network (CCAN) announced a new recognition program: the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change. The Beacon Award recognizes and celebrates California cities and counties that:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy;
• Adopt policies and programs to address climate change; and
• Promote sustainability.

Participating in the voluntary Beacon Award program provides local agencies and their leaders with positive recognition for saving energy, conserving resources, promoting sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Award showcases local accomplishments for their residents, colleagues and others.

The Institute invites cities and counties to participate in the Beacon Award program and work toward achieving the silver, gold and platinum Beacon Award levels. There is no deadline to apply; applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Details about the program, guidelines for participation and recognition, and an online application are available at www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward.

Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2010

New Program - Climate Corps Bay Area Available

Climate Corps Bay Area is seeking local governments and community partners to employ AmeriCorps members to help with Bay Area emissions reduction projects. Climate Corps Bay Area, in partnership with Bay Area Community Resources and Strategic Energy Innovations with grant funding from California Volunteers, will place 30 AmeriCorps members in communities throughout the Bay Area to work on climate change program implementation. The new program is designed to pair AmeriCorps members with local governments and nonprofit agencies who are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Corps Bay Area already has a strong base of partners in cities such as San Jose, San Francisco, Redwood City, among others. To learn more about Climate Corps Bay Area or to learn about how to host an organization or an AmeriCorp member visit http://www.climatecorps-bayarea.org or call Kif Scheuer at 415-507-1433.

Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010

ABAG to Administer a Residential Energy Retrofit Program Beginning this Fall

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) was approved for $10.7 million from the California Energy Commission to administer a region-wide energy retrofit program for residential home energy retrofits. The program will be offered in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma Counties, beginning this Fall. ABAG is developing a convenient, user-friendly website and regional call-center for Bay Area residents to access information about the benefits of retrofit improvements, available incentives, and qualified contractors. The comprehensive community-scale home retrofit program is targeted to achieve energy efficiency upgrades in up to 15,000 single-family and 2,000 multi-family residences.

The program will help homeowners achieve a minimum of 20 percent energy savings on average with energy efficiency improvements. These improvements could include installing insulation or duct sealing or total home retrofits employing home energy raters and building performance contractors trained to accomplish deeper, comprehensive energy upgrades. The program is designed to achieve energy retrofits that will in turn create jobs and stimulate the economy, save energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Program elements include homeowner rebates to attract participation, as well as contractor scholarships, green workforce training, and an expansive outreach campaign developed to achieve California’s and the nation’s energy and climate change goals.

Funding for this program comes from the federal America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The program will also leverage a diverse range of short and long term funds, including grant funds, State Energy Program funds, Workforce Training Grants, and others.

Posted Monday, June 7, 2010

Grant Funds Available to Cities and Counties for Housing Related Parks and Recreation Projects
2010 Program Year Notice of Funding Availability Announced

The Department of Housing and Community Development has released the 2010 Program Year Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Housing Related Parks (HRP) Program. The program provides grant funding for parks and recreation projects to cities and counties with documented housing starts for newly constructed units that are affordable to very low or low-income households. The HRP Program is an innovative program designed to increase the overall supply of housing affordable to lower income households by providing financial incentives to jurisdictions that are in compliance with the State Housing Element Law. Applications for the 2010 HRP Program year will be released in December 2010.

Information about the NOFA and program guidelines are available on the Department of Housing and Community Development’s website at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/hpd/hrpp/. For more information, please contact program staff at housing_parks@hcd.ca.gov.

Posted Thursday, April 29, 2010

ABAG 2010 Growing Smarter Together Awards Presented to
Cities, Counties and Regional Leader
View 2010 Growing Smarter Together Awards Video http://www.abag.ca.gov/smarter.html

Outstanding local government planning and development and environmental projects were celebrated during the fourth annual presentation of the Growing Smarter Together Awards at the Association of Bay Area Governments’ Spring General Assembly on April 22, 2010. Through six award categories, the following award winners were recognized: the City and County of San Francisco, the County of Contra Costa, the City of Livermore, the City of Richmond, the City of Albany, and Beverly Lane, Vice President of the East Bay Park District Board of Directors. These award winners have made a significant contribution to strengthen and support existing communities and to create healthy communities with a diversity of housing, jobs, services, transit efficiency, and conservation efforts.

Sharing the Benefits Award Category
The City and County of San Francisco Embedding Equity into Smart Growth: Eastern Neighborhoods Program received the Sharing the Benefits award for using innovation and best practices to avoid displacement or other adverse impacts, while promoting community revitalization and small business retention. The program has resulted in over 2,500 affordable housing units, thousands of working-wage jobs, 1,000 new child care spaces, and up to four acres of new parks. In addition, new transit infrastructure, including the 16th Street transit link between BART and the Third Street Light Rail, and up to 10 miles of improved pedestrian ways, bike lanes, and green streets have been put in place through this program.

On the Ground – FOCUSed Growth Award Category
This On the Ground award recognizes the Contra Costa Centre Transit Village, a major transit-oriented, mixed-use community of residential, employment and retail uses in a compact setting around BART’s Pleasant Hill Station. The Transit Village is a 140-acre master-planned transit community located where BART, I-680, the Iron Horse Trail, and a future light-rail corridor converge. At completion, the Contra Costa Centre Transit Village will consist of 2.8 million square feet of commercial development, 2,800 residential units, 50,000 square feet of retail, 3,500 square feet of civic use, and over eight acres of green space. Conceived during a County Specific Plan initiative in 1983, the Transit Village has leveraged the regional accessibility of the area around the Pleasant Hill BART Station and used public and private investments that began in the early 1980s.

Building a Better Bay Area – Urban Design Award Category
This Urban Design award was presented to the City of Livermore—Implementation of Downtown Specific Plan which relocated a former state highway and an aging commercial area into a mixed-use district that supports affordable moderate to high density housing, streetscape and pedestrian enhancements, employment and retail, and improved access to transit. The Livermore Specific Plan covers a 272 acre redevelopment area. This plan and project have resulted in an impressive transformation with new housing, new streetscapes and catalyst commercial projects, promoting downtown community use and access.

The City of Richmond Civic Center Revitalization Project was the second Urban Design award winner. Richmond was recognized for revitalizing its 1950s-era Civic Center. The City of Richmond surpassed the planned Silver LEED standards by reducing water use and runoff control, and installing solar panels and state of the art window glazing systems. The project resulted in a restored Timothy Phfulger designed Civic Center, new office space, and Gold LEED certification, while maintaining the building’s complex historical significance. A public art project included historical renderings and work from recognized local artists, numerous paintings, elevator etchings, and a plaza sculpture and water feature.

Preserving and Protecting the Environment Award Category
The Preserving and Protecting the Environment Award was presented to City of Albany Codornices Creek Restoration Project, a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency project involving the City of Albany, the City of Berkeley, and the University of Berkeley. The project restored habitat to native Steelhead Trout and improved water conveyance. The restoration also constructed a bicycle/pedestrian spur trail connection between BART, urban areas and the Bay Trail. The project is next to low income University student housing and provided recreational and educational resources in conjunction with non-profit organizations. Codornices Creek Restoration now provides a native riparian “environmental oasis” in the midst of a very urban and densely populated area.

Distinguished Leadership Award Category
Beverly Lane, Vice President of the East Bay Park District Board of Directors, was recognized for leadership and visionary efforts in creating and expanding the Iron Horse Trail. Lane’s inspiration and commitment have been instrumental in creation and expansion of the Iron Horse Trail, a paved 30 mile, multi-use trail, which stretches from Marsh Drive in Concord to the BART Station in Dublin. The Trail Intersects with the Contra Costa Canal Trail in Walnut Creek and is a real-world example of a successful urban multi-use trail, a regional resource and model for future trail and park planners. Lane’s formal connection and leadership efforts began over 25 years ago when she served on the first Town of Danville Council. She was a founding Member of the Right of Way Trail Advocates, a grass roots organization founded in 1984 to promote establishment of a multi-use trail along the San Ramon Valley, a portion of the Southern Pacific Railroad right of way. Beverly Lane’s dedication and perseverance helped push the trail expansion much further north than originally planned to the City of Martinez and more recently south to Pleasanton. Lane has served on the Park District Board of Directors since 1994.

View 2010 Growing Smarter Together Award winning project video at http://www.abag.ca.gov/smarter.html.

Posted Monday, April 26, 2010

Region Celebrates Earth Day With Launch of “One Bay Area” Collaborative Effort
at ABAG General Assembly and Summit
Regional Agencies and Local Governments Join Together to
Chart Course to Meet Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets

Four Bay Area regional agencies launched a major outreach initiative, "One Bay Area" (http://www.onebayarea.org), at a regional assembly bringing together 350 Bay Area city and county elected officials, regional leaders and community stakeholders. The regional agency partners — the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) — joined together in a joint General Assembly and summit to mark the beginning of development of the SB 375 Sustainable Communities Strategy for the Bay Area. SB 375 refers to landmark legislation (authored by Daryl Steinberg and passed by the California Legislature in 2008) requiring regions in California to develop strategies for combating climate change and promoting sustainable communities.

“One Bay Area” harnesses the resources of regional agencies, local governments, county congestion management agencies, local planning and public works directors, city and county managers, public transit agencies, community members and stakeholder groups. These agencies must work together to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by cars and light trucks in the region over the next 10-25 years. These efforts will be showcased on a new website launched today, located at www.OneBayArea.org.

“One Bay Area underscores the simple and fragile fact that there is only one Bay Area to pass on to our children and grandchildren,” said Scott Haggerty, chair of MTC and Alameda County supervisor, who will be one of the speakers at the Summit.

The Bay Area has already established a positive framework for managing growth, a situation that gives the region a leg up in crafting the state-mandated Sustainable Communities Strategy. Cities in the region have voluntarily established 120 Priority Development Areas — parcels that have access to public transit and are appropriate for growth. The regional agency partners have determined that these Priority Development Areas, spread across 60 jurisdictions, can sustainably address half of the projected region's growth while using only 3 percent of the Bay Area's land. “By integrating land use and transportation, we’re leading the way in protecting the economy, environment and the health of our communities,” said ABAG President and Union City Mayor Mark Green.

During the ABAG General Assembly and Summit, keynote Speaker Michael Woo, Dean of the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona and Los Angeles planning commissioner, set the stage, sharing his experience and insights as chair of Smart Growth America, the national coalition advocating compact development and transit, bicycle and pedestrian programs, and as the Southern California consultant to ClimatePlan, the statewide coalition promoting better coordination of local land use and transportation plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Summit’s panels, discussion and polling focused on sustainable land use and transportation priorities, while looking at ways to provide support and incentives for making Priority Development Areas successful. The forum highlighted approaches to allocating the Bay Area's growth — around 2 million people over the next 25 years — in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and improves Bay Area quality of life.

Participants explored an interactive showcase of innovative local sustainability projects featuring Richmond, Santa Rosa and Sunnyvale downtown specific plans, the Contra Costa Centre Transit Village, the City and County of San Mateo’s TDM Guidelines, GreenTRIP, Safe Routes to School, Electric Vehicle Corridor Projects, and BCDC’s Rising Tides international competition for ideas responding to sea level rise in the Bay.

During a luncheon ceremony, the Fourth Annual Growing Smarter Together Awards were presented to Albany, Richmond, Livermore, the City and County of San Francisco, and Contra Costa County, with a distinguished Leadership Award going to East Bay Regional Park District Board Member Beverly Lane.

Posted Friday, January 29, 2010

ABAG Projects Nominal Growth for 2010 Bay Area Economy

"The Bay Area economy will recover slowly, a mirror of the rest of the nation, stabilizing in 2010 with some recovery in 2011,” said Paul Fassinger, ABAG Economist and Director of Research, during the Association of Bay Area Governments’ (ABAG) 22nd Annual Regional Economic Outlook Conference on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. According to Fassinger, “Incomes are not expected to grow appreciably and the Bay Area inflation rate for 2010 and 2011 will hover at 2.5%.” These projections, which address the state of the Bay Area’s economy for 2010-2011 and other budget concerns challenging local governments, were presented to more than 150 conference attendees representing local government, regional agencies, and business.

Highlights
Focusing on current and future Bay Area economic trends, Fassinger said, “In the short term, the Bay Area will see nominal income growth (0.3%) in 2010, increasing by 2.5% in 2011. Approximately 20,000 more jobs will be lost in 2010, while 2011 will show a modest increase of 8,000 jobs.” Chief Economist Howard Roth of the California Department of Finance provided the broader California outlook, noting “The recession may well be over, but the toll has been horrific. Recovery will likely be slow as unemployed workers try to find jobs and consumers struggle to get their finances in order. A major concern affecting this outlook is that another wave of less-than-prime adjustable-rate mortgages will reset between 2010 and 2012.”

ABAG Senior Regional Planner Hing Wong examined Bay Area retail sales and consumer spending patterns, stating that “consumer spending continues to be weak. Consumers will continue to feel the economic pinch as retail sales are forecasted to grow by only 0.4% in 2010 and 2.2% in 2011. The slowdown in the job market, and the high level of unemployment compounded by California’s ongoing budget issues, have eroded consumer confidence.” As a result, a nominal taxable sales growth of 1% is forecast for 2010, slightly increasing to 1.9% in 2011.

The Bay Area housing outlook was discussed by Andrew LePage, Anaylst, DataQuick Information System. LePage said, “Some indicators suggest the housing downturn has slowed, with potential for a fledgling recovery.” He detailed the California and Bay Area housing market downturns, resales, mortgage defaults, and foreclosure rates. He provided data on California foreclosure inventory by county which showed that Vallejo and Antioch had the highest number of foreclosures in 2009, 1529 and 1455 homes respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Sausalito and Los Altos show the lowest foreclosure numbers in 2009 of 5 and 8 homes respectively.

ABAG’s conference provides a two-year regional economic outlook at the beginning of each calendar year. It is the foremost regional conference for forecasting local government future revenue and planning budgets and is consistently rated by attendees as one of the most reliable prognostications of Bay Area economic trends.

Posted Friday, January 15, 2010

ABAG 2009 Housing Report
Testing the American Dream in the San Francisco Bay Area

ABAG recently released the 2009 Housing Report: Testing the American Dream in the San Francisco Bay Area. The report chronicles the housing crisis across the Bay Area region. The housing bubble and the factors that led to the ultimate collapse are explored in this timely report, as well as the impacts on employment, the rental market, home prices, and property tax revenues.

This year’s housing report provides a comparative analysis of foreclosure rates near major cities and suburban areas. Four case studies featuring the City of Antioch, the City of Fairfield, the City of Sunnyvale, and the City and County of San Francisco describe how cities and counties are tackling the housing crisis in many unique ways and creating opportunities.

In addition, the results of ABAG's 2009 housing survey with the number of residential building permits issued in 2008, as well as identification of the total number of housing units in each city, town, or unincorporated area, are included.

Click here to view Housing Report. To purchase the report go to http://store.abag.ca.gov/projections.asp or call (510) 464-7900.

Posted Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Association of Bay Area Governments Elects New Officers
President Mark Green and Vice President Susan L. Adams Take the Lead

ABAG, the Bay Area’s regional planning agency and council of governments, has elected new officers. Union City Mayor Mark Green has been elected ABAG President for a two year term beginning January 21, 2010, and Marin County Supervisor Susan L. Adams, Ph.D, RN, is slated to become Vice President. They follow in the footsteps of outgoing President Rose Jacobs Gibson, San Mateo County Supervisor, who will officially turn over the gavel at the January 21st Executive Board Meeting in Oakland.

Mayor Green has been ABAG Vice President for the past two years. Commenting on his new role, incoming President Mark Green says, “I look forward to serving the Bay Area over the next two years and will be taking ABAG's regional message into each county. The new decade will demand a higher level of regional cooperation as we try to solve some vexing problems in housing, planning, transportation, the environment, and in the economy. All of us will be required to look at the way we do things through a different lens.”

Mayor Green brings an outstanding history of public service to regional leadership. He has served as Mayor of Union City for sixteen years, first elected in 1993. Prior to becoming Mayor, he worked in the insurance industry for over two decades and served in various city government positions since 1986 as planning commissioner and park and recreation commissioner and as Union City councilmember from 1991-93. Mayor Green is currently Chair of ABAG’s Regional Planning Committee and serves on ABAG’s Executive Board, Administrative, and Legislation and Governmental Organization Committees. He is Chair of the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency and Vice Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority and the Bay Area Hazardous Waste Management Facility Allocation Committee. He is a board member of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and East Bay Economic Development Alliance. A native of Peoria, Illinois, he has lived in the Bay Area since 1971 and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

ABAG Vice President-Elect Susan L. Adams currently represents the 1st District on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, and in her second four-year term as Supervisor serves as Marin County’s Director of Emergency Services. She also serves on a number of boards and commissions including the
Children’s Health Initiative Task Force, the Disaster and Citizen Corps Council, the Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Task Force, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), ABAG’s Executive Board and Regional Planning Committee (RPC), and the state and national Associations of Counties (CSAC and NACo), serving as Vice-chair of NACo’s Health Steering Committee. Supervisor Adams also serves on a state Task Force for Criminal Justice Collaboration on Mental Health Issues. Supervisor Adams was born and raised in San Francisco. She completed her master's degree in nursing at UCSF as a maternity clinical specialist and a women's health nurse practitioner. Her clinical practice and research focus was child bearing women with a special interest in addiction and recovery during pregnancy and motherhood. Supervisor Adams received a doctorate from UCSF in 1998 with her research and dissertation work focused on the experiences of pregnant women and new mothers who were using crack cocaine.

On becoming ABAG Vice President, Supervisor Adams says, “ABAG is one of our Bay Area’s premiere regional planning agencies and I look forward to working with President Mark Green over the next two years on a broad spectrum of regional issues that will help enhance the links between land use and environmental quality of life in the Bay Area. With my background in health care, the lens I use is the link between a healthy planet and healthy people and communities.”

Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Winter Spare the Air Season Has Begun

Wood Burning Rule makes it illegal to burn when air quality is unhealthy

Wood smoke is a major source of wintertime air pollution in the Bay Area and contains harmful pollutants such as particulate matter and carbon monoxide, as well as toxins such as dioxin, which is linked to increased cancer rates in adults. In the winter, wood smoke from the 1.4 million fireplaces and wood stoves in the Bay Area contributes about one-third of the harmful particulate pollution in the air. As part of efforts to protect public health, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has opened the Winter Spare the Air season and begun enforcing a regulation that restricts wood burning in the Bay Area through February 28, 2010. This winter is the second winter season that the Wood Burning Rule, which was passed in 2008, is in effect.

Jack Broadbent, BAAQMD executive officer, underscored the importance of heeding the Winter Spare the Air Alerts. “This winter, Bay Area residents must check before they burn,” he said. “It is illegal to burn wood or firelogs when a Winter Spare the Air Alert is in effect. Wood smoke pollution is associated with a number of serious health risks and is particularly harmful to children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems.” The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency chartered with protecting air quality in the Bay Area.

When does a Winter Spare the Air Alert Occur?
The Air District will declare a Winter Spare the Air Alert when air pollution is forecast to reach unhealthy levels. During a Winter Spare the Air Alert, the use of wood-burning devices, including fireplaces, pellet stoves, wood stoves and outdoor fire pits, is forbidden. There are expected to be, on average, approximately 15-20 Winter Spare the Air Alerts during the season.

This season, Winter Spare the Air Alerts will be declared the day prior to the alert going into effect. Each day by 2 p.m., the Air District will issue an air quality forecast. If air quality is forecast to be unhealthy, a Winter Spare the Air Alert will be called for the next day. The Alert will be in place for 24 hours – one calendar day – active from midnight-to-midnight.

Those who burn during a Winter Spare the Air Alert will receive a warning for the first violation and a second violation is subject to a $400 ticket. The ticket amount will increase with any subsequent violations. Residents and businesses that burn wood as their only source of heat are exempt from the regulation.

Under the new rule, it is required that only EPA-certified wood stoves or fireplace inserts, pellet stoves, or natural gas devices can be sold or installed in new construction or remodels. The new rule also places year-round prohibitions on excessive smoke, and on the burning of garbage and other harmful materials in fireplaces and woodstoves.

How do residents know what to do during Winter Spare the Air Alerts?

Bay Area residents can check before they burn by:
Visiting www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org

Calling 1-877-4-NO-BURN:
Sign up for e-mail AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org
or phone alerts by calling 800-430-1515.

Posted Friday, November 20, 2009

Delta & California Water Forum

New Delta & California Water Legislation: How will the Bay Area be affected?

Concerned about the future of the San Francisco Bay Delta, the linchpin of the state’s water system? Wondering what the new package of water bills just passed will mean for the Bay Area? Bay Area elected officials and staff, water agencies, local businesses, fishing interests, regional agricultural interests, environmentalists, media, state government staff, and interested public are invited to attend a free forum on Thursday, December 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Oakland Marriott CityCenter, 1001 Broadway (Downtown Oakland, near 12th BART Station).

Sponsored by the Association of Bay Area Governments’ San Francisco Estuary Partnership, this timely forum will help attendees decipher the latest Delta- and water-management-related legislation and proposed bond measures. Resource and water policy experts will explore what the recently passed water and Delta legislation mean to Bay Area constituencies and discuss the changes in water policy. An overview of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will be presented, spotlighting how it will affect Bay Area citizens, businesses, agriculture, wildlife, and water agencies. In addition, the implications of passing or not passing the proposed 2010 $11 million bond will be examined.

For a complete agenda, go to Delta Forum.

For further information, contact the San Francisco Estuary Partnership at (510) 622 2465.

Posted Friday, October 23, 2009

ABAG Fall General Assembly
Planning and Development During Economic Downturns
Building New Partnerships

View Luncheon Keynote Speaker Will Fleissig’s Presentation

Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and former County Executive, King County, Washington presented the keynote address during the Fall General Assembly on Thursday, October 22, 2009, in San Francisco. As the second most senior official at HUD, Sims is responsible for managing the Department's day-to-day operations, a nearly $40 billion annual operating budget, and the agency's 8,500 employees. Sims set the stage for the half-day General Assembly discussion by presenting an expansive federal perspective on how to build partnerships to support sustainability, livability, and economic development in the 21st century. Sims spoke about the importance of aligning interests and integration of housing, transportation, and air quality with an emphasis on healthy neighborhoods. “Regionalization is our only way to be able to compete globally and be competitive for the rest of the century,” Sims told the audience of ABAG elected officials and staff. He emphasized, “HUD is not your regulator, but will partner in community development with a desire to see regions plan together with investments that make regions work.”

A panel of Bay Area elected leaders, including Solano County Supervisor Jim Spering, San Francisco County Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo, Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan, and Moderator Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, followed Sims. Speakers discussed the current economic downturns and their impact on public revenues and services, and examined local opportunities and partnerships for moving toward long-term sustainable and equitable local and regional development.

The General Assembly featured an informative presentation on leveraging sustainability by luncheon speaker Will Fleissig, President of Communitas Development Inc. and active member of Urban Land Institute and ReConnecting America. Click here to view Fleissig’s Presentation.

ABAG’s General Assembly is a bi-annual conference that brings Bay Area decision-makers together to explore key issues and trends in a regional context.

Posted Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Workshops Available for Local Governments to Adopt Water Conservation Ordinance

Local workshops in San Jose and Oakland will assist local governments and urban water suppliers in adopting and implementing the required Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. The law requires cities and counties, including charter cities and charter counties, to adopt landscape water conservation ordinances by January 1, 2010.

California Department of Water (DWR) and California Urban Water Conservation Council and various organizations throughout the state are conducting a series of workshops on the following:
• The content of the Model Ordinance
• Cities and counties roles and responsibilities
• Assistance available to local governments
• Water purveyors roles
• Experiences of local governments and water purveyors
• Benefits of adopting and implementing an ordinance

Reservations are required. For more details, please visit the DWR website at
http://www.water.ca.gov/wateruseefficiency/landscapeordinance/

Bay Area Workshops
Monday, October 26, 2009
8:30 AM-12:30 PM
Santa Clara Valley Water District
HQ Boardroom
5700 Almaden Expressway
San Jose, CA 95118
(408) 265-2600

Monday, November 2, 2009
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Boardroom, 2nd Floor
375 11th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(866) 403-2683

Posted Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Need Cities and Towns Participation in Proposed Application for Brownfields Assessment Grants

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is planning to apply for Brownfields Assessment grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for the year 2009. ABAG is looking for cities and towns to partner together for the EPA grant funds which will provide loans and subgrants to clean up the brownfield sites in priority development growth areas.

Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. The deadline for submitting the grant applications to the EPA is October 16, 2009. Please visit the website at http://www.abag.ca.gov/brownfields.html for more information or contact Joanna Bullock, ABAG Grants Administrator at 510-464-7968 or joannab@abag.ca.gov.

Posted Friday, October 2, 2009

ABAG Releases Annual Housing Survey Data

Thirty-seven percent less new housing was permitted in 2008 than in 2007 in the San Francisco Bay Area according to a recently completed Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) annual survey. Not surprisingly, regional results indicate a significant drop in permits compared to 2007, though certain areas of the region experienced an increase over the previous year.

ABAG is releasing the Housing Survey Data in advance of issuing the 2009 Housing Report. New this year, the Housing Survey Data includes information on affordable housing (units that are affordable to households earning less than 120 percent of the area's median income), as well as information on market rate housing. Data is now available at http://www.abag.ca.gov/pdfs/2009_Housing_Data.pdf.

Posted Monday, September 28, 2009

Region Measures Disaster-Resistance
Public Invited to Comment on Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

ABAG in coordination with approximately 100 cities, counties, agencies, and special districts has developed a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) draft update for the San Francisco Bay Area. The LHMP is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirement for jurisdictions to receive Federal assistance for disaster mitigation. The overall goal of the LHMP is “to maintain and enhance a disaster-resistant region by reducing the potential loss of life, property damage, and environmental degradation from natural disasters, while accelerating economic recovery from those disasters.”

The public is invited to comment on the LHMP, which identifies ways to reduce risk and disaster vulnerability related to infrastructure, health, housing, economy (private business), government services, education, environment, and land use. The ABAG regional LHMP for the San Francisco Bay Area identifies 361 mitigation strategies and regional priorities for mitigation. In addition, over 100 jurisdictions are currently preparing annexes to the ABAG regional LHMP, which identify mitigation areas specific to each participating city or county.

Public Comment Opportunities
The public can review the LHMP at http://quake.abag.ca.gov/mitigation and attend the Earthquake and Hazards Lifeline Committee meeting at 9:00 a.m. and/or the ABAG Regional Planning Committee meeting at 1:00 p.m. Both meetings are on October 7, 2009, at the Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland (across from Lake Merritt BART). Meeting details are listed at http://quake.abag.ca.gov/mitigation/. Comments must be e-mailed to shaky@abag.ca.gov by October 12th. Local cities, counties, and special districts are also holding public meetings to review their local priorities. Continued public participation is important because it gives residents and businesses the opportunity to voice their specific comments and be involved in this important process.

More information on natural hazards mitigation is located at http://quake.abag.ca.gov/. For more information, contact Jeanne Perkins, Earthquake Hazards Program Consultant, or Danielle Hutchings, ABAG Earthquake and Hazards Specialist, at 510/464-7951, DanielleH@abag.ca.gov.

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