Guy Bjerke

Preferred Plan = "Balanced Development"

2009-01-17T10:57:45-08:00

The Contra Costa Times wrote an editorial on Thursday, January 15 about the City Council's choice of a Preferred Alternative for the CNWS Base Reuse calling it "Balanced Development".

The editorial hasn't been posted on their website - so I'm providing a link to a pdf version here.

As the editorial - and each of my colleagues have pointed out - this is not a final decision, but the next step in the planning process. Now the Navy can move forward with their own environmental studies and we can finish our environmental review (EIR). New information or issues may come to light that require us to modify the final plan before placing it in our General Plan and adopting implementing policies - so public participation and input is still vital as we move forward.

I'd like to thank the Community Advisory Committee members who spent countless hours reviewing public input and professional advice to arrive at their recommendation. The Council took both the majority and minority reports seriously. I also appreciated the patience and civility everyone who testified showed in presenting their ideas and concerns. As I said Monday evening - in recent history most large-scale development efforts have been developer/property owner driven. I am proud we were able to create a citizen driven planning process with a tremendous degree of transparency. You should be too. Stay tuned.

Addressing Noise Problems in Concord

2009-01-03T09:23:35-08:00

On Monday evening, January 5, 2009, the City Council will consider a staff report about noise control measures requested by Councilmember Helen Allen. The report explains what is currently done to address noise issues in the City and provides a summary matrix of how 20 other jurisdictions in the East Bay handle noise problems. The report also points out that the remedy for most noise issues is already covered by State Law or the current Municipal Code. For instance, Concord treats repeated sound amplification as disturbing the peace - if two or more neighbors complain.

The issue I'm most familiar with is "thumping". That's when your home vibrates from the woofer in the trunk of the car parked on your street. You go outside and the music may not really be that loud or loud at all, but your house is still shaking and humming to a distinctive beat.

Read the report and let me know what you think in comments. Or send an email to the entire Council at citycouncil@ci.concord.ca.us. Or attend the Council meeting - it begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1950 Parkside Drive.

World Class or Standard?

2008-11-23T10:42:10-08:00

Last Monday night the City Council, sitting as the Local Reuse Authority (LRA), held our first hearing on the way to choosing a preferred land use plan for the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.

You can learn about the current proposals and review the Community Advisory Committee’s process by checking out the material available on the Concord Community Reuse Project website.

You can also watch - provided you have about 5 hours - the staff presentation and public testimony from November 17th by visiting the City’s website and viewing the webcast of that meeting.

I appreciated the fact that most of the 50+ speakers at the meeting were positive, offered constructive criticism and/or expressed genuine concerns about the plan’s future impacts. Many were also quite specific - which is also helpful.

A regional stakeholders group provided suggestions on how to improve the Cluster Villages alternative to better integrate educational facilities and potential office parks for green or new technologies.

The Neighborhood Alliance made specific requests like the size of any open space buffer and the permanence of open space designations to protect existing homes that border the Base.

All in all the hearing went well.

One thing, among many, I’m still struggling with though is the concept of “world class”. Creating a “world class” project has been one of the City’s goals and guiding principles from the beginning. The approximately 20 members of the Community Advisory Committee worked diligently to craft their recommendations with the idea that they meet the goals and guiding principles, including the “world class” criteria. What do you think? Is the project “world class”? If not, what would make it “world class”?

The next public meeting on the Reuse Plan is set for 6:30 pm on December 1st at the Concord Senior Center - 2727 Parkside Circle.

Public Service 101 - Do the Right Thing

2008-09-16T19:52:58-07:00

I think most Californians would be glad to learn that their public officials are required to take a refresher course on ethics every two years. AB 1234 created the requirement and was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005 - so most jurisdictions are now going through their second cycle of training.

The course covers key ethics laws, ethical dilemmas faced by public servants, open meetings, public records and transparency in government decision-making. And it's not just the elected officials that are required to complete this "public service 101" - all key staffers and appointed officials must have a current certificate too.

The course I took today was presented by JoAnne Spears who is the Executive Director of the Institute for Local Government. The ILG website page re AB 1234 is here. The course uses video news reports to illustrate examples of less than stellar decision-making on the part of local government officials and encourages discussion about the ethical and legal issues involved.

Those public officials too busy to sit through the course can take an online course like the one found at the Fair Political Practices Commission website - here. If you're curious give it a try and see how you do.

The bottom line? Additional ethics training for public officials is a good thing. The bad apples almost always get caught and make big headlines and the evening news. The rest you rarely hear about because they're doing the right thing.

Concord's Annual Report 2008

2008-09-12T22:42:12-07:00

Concord residents and businesses received the City's Annual Report for fiscal year 2007-2008 in the mail last weekend.

You can download it in Adobe PDF (4+mb file) here.

Concord has an excellent staff. They work very hard to make sure city programs and services are of the highest quality and delivered in a cost effective manner.

The budget - revenue sources and major expenditure categories - is detailed on pages 8 and 9. Our two primary sources of revenue are Sales Tax and Property Tax. Concord receives only 3/4 of a penny of the 8 1/4 cents sales tax paid on purchases made in Concord and receives only $9 out of every $100 paid in property tax. The rest goes to the State or County for services and programs they provide, including public education.

All indications are the State Budget standoff will be partially resolved by taking a percentage of every Redevelopment Agency's funding. Current figures indicate our Agency could lose approximately $800,000 per year - perhaps permanently. That's money Concord will not have to fund capital improvement projects designed to raise our property values, revitalize commercial areas and improve the local economy.

Let's hope our leaders in Sacramento find a better budget solution than stealing funds from local governments. Especially when the short term fix undermines long term economic growth and the taxes that growth will generate.

New Traffic Signal on Treat Blvd

2008-08-20T08:05:04-07:00

The City has successfully installed a new traffic signal on Treat Blvd just west of Oak Grove Road, at the Fire Station/Oak Grove Plaza entrance.

This should improve access and safety - and the contractors and city staff are to be commended for getting it done during the brief break between school years. It will be interesting to see how it operates when school starts.

The next project for Treat Blvd will be median beautification between Oak Grove Road and San Miguel Road. Stay tuned.

Reaching a Councilmember

2008-08-15T20:53:30-07:00

Here's my official Concord business card.

The phone number- (925) 671-3158 puts you in contact with either Mary Nakamura or Sue Anne Griffin in the City Manager's office. If you'd like to meet with me or any member of the Council - they will work to make that happen.

The email - citycouncil@ci.concord.ca.us - works a little differently. You can put a particular Councilmember's name in the Subject line of your email or not - almost regardless the result is the same. The email is printed out, copied and put in each Councilmember's inbox on their desk at City Hall. Staff is making sure that all Councilmembers are getting the same information. It's just important not to expect a quick reply just because you sent an email. We are not getting your message instantly - I do not get to City Hall everyday. My practice is to pickup my packet and inbox on Friday afternoons. Many emails are expressing an opinion on a matter that will come before Council and I believe, for the most part, the appropriate time to respond is at that meeting - after the public has had their chance to weigh in. Some of your emails ask specific, technical questions that are more appropriately answered by staff and are routed accordingly. The rest tend to be critiques, thank yous or invitations to civic/social events. I read them all. Thank you and keep 'em coming.

Balance the State Budget with State Funds

2008-07-31T07:12:10-07:00

Everyone should be worried that the State is still unable to adopt a budget for the next (actually, this) fiscal year. It's starting to have real consequences.

It's not unusual for the State's budget to be late. However, local government budgets were adopted on time - by June 30. Tough decisions were made by hundreds of cities, counties and special districts. Yet now "borrowing" from local governments, redevelopment agencies and voter-approved transportation funds appear to be on the table.

Mayor Bill Shinn has written this letter (pdf) to Senator Tom Torlakson and Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier opposing borrowing from local government and closing with "...the State should balance its budget with state funds - no more and no less." Bill's absolutely right.

I believe Senator Torlakson and Assemblymember DeSaulnier are trying to to the right thing. They need our support and need to hear from us.

Virtual Office Hours

2008-07-26T21:07:26-07:00

I'm going to try a little experiment. Create "virtual office hours" via this blog.

If you have questions or concerns about local government in Concord let me know by leaving a comment on this or future postings. I'll do my best to get you an answer or refer you to someone who can. I will moderate all comments...keep it clean and to the point or it won't make the cut.

I will also post occasional comments or links to happenings in the news. If this gets too boring for you please see HalfwaytoConcord.com or Claycord.com for their "infotainment" value.

Remember - if you want to communicate with the entire Concord City Council you can send an email to citycouncil@ci.concord.ca.us .

Newspapers Miss Good News??

2007-11-06T08:21:05-08:00

I had to chuckle this morning when I read in the New York Times that even newspaper executives think that newspapers ignore good news stories.

The article - More Readers Trading Newspapers for Web Sites - explains about continued loss of print circulation and a new, independent measurement of online readership. The combined information is "good news."

Industry executives said they hoped the new numbers would put a more positive cast on newspapers’ prospects than the routinely gloomy paid circulation reports have done.

“We do feel that there’s a story that’s been missed here,” said Stephen P. Hills, president and general manager of The Washington Post. There is good news about readership, he said, “but you wouldn’t know that to read the newspapers.”

Bing!