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May 31, 2007
More Growth in Chico Too
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| The darkened section of the map above shows
the location of New Urban Builders' proposed Meriam
Park development. This is the largest
development that I can recall being proposed in Chico, and was recently
recommended for approval by the Planning Commission. Among supporters of
the proposed development were Barbara Vlamis of Butte Environmental
Council and Susan Mason of Friends of Bidwell Park. New Urban Builders
was recently named "darling of the left" in an E-R editorial,
which is accurate as far as local builders go. Beyond the notable "growth" vs. "no growth" flip-flopping some local activists have embarked on there are important economic ramifications associated with this proposal. There's no doubt that Meriam Park is large, with 2500 housing units proposed, but where does it fit in Chico's expected growth? BCAG estimates the number of housing units in Chico at 32,864 for 2006, and expects an increase of 2.5% annually to reach 52,860 by 2030. That means Meriam Park accounts for about 15% of the expected growth in housing units for the next 22 years. Since Meriam Park is planned to be built over 10-12 years it would account for about 30% of the 2.5% annual growth in new housing units. So it's a big part of our growth, but only about a third of what's expected in the next decade. I'm not an expert on the local home market. Anecdotally, it looks like we're currently in a flat or declining market. I do know that Chico's median home price was $144,000 in 2000 and $277,000 in 2004. That stat alone should scare the hell out of young families. The greatest opportunity for locals to purchase homes in Chico will occur when supply exceeds demand, and when homes are built during a flat market. Meriam Park may be coming along at the right time to keep supply high. There are a number of other economic benefits of this development. These range from increased tax increment into the redevelopment agency from increases in property value associated with new homes (about 20% of Meriam Park appears to be located within the RDA), to employment for the small army of subcontractors that work for all local builders, to increasing account balances due to development impact fees, to increases in sales tax by the population that will move here. |
| Summary: New Urban Builders has so far done
a good job navigating the treacherous shoals of Chico's "growth" politics.
Meriam Park will provide economic growth and housing needs that even our
most ardent environmental warriors have come to recognize as needed. I'm neither a fan nor detractor of "new urbanism". As I look around Chico I see eclectic and varied living environments. Doe Mill, for example, is a beautiful development, but my preference leans towards expansive "backyard living". This amenity is more often found in Chico homes built in the 70's and 80's. Other builders are providing different home styles. This includes Marcon's River Glen, that are similar to Doe Mill in lot size but have craftsman style homes that reflect Chico's older neighborhoods. Outside of the city huge mansions are popping up along the Skyway with little in the way of consistent form but grand in cost, size, and view. I think a variety of housing options are what best serve the community. New Urban Builders has unlocked the secret of getting support from the local left. That support doesn't change the economics of the project, which should generate support from the local right. |
Posted by Lon at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2007
More Growth In Chico
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| Ruby Marie Glazner was born yesterday at
Enloe Hospital at 9:20AM. She weighed in at 7lb 4oz and was 20.5" long.
Since she was delivered via C-section we avoided the "Remulak" look
some vaginal birth kids end up with. Unfortunately, when she's upset she
has a striking resemblance to George Burns. In contrast to some of the public angst over Enloe, the experience so far has been very positive. All of the nurses and doctors have been great, and the cafeteria even has some enjoyable offerings. The maternity wing of the hospital is one of its oldest areas, in fact my wife was born here 35 years ago. Some of the equipment is new since our first child was born here 6 years ago, in particular the new $80,000 anesthesia equipment replaced what used to look like a WWII periscope. This blog post is being made using Enloe's guest wireless network, and I'm sure internet access is something a lot of patients are thankful for. It's nice to see, from the inside, that Enloe is running smoothly and making improvements. Our community needs a healthy and robust health care provider. |
Posted by Lon at 09:43 AM | Comments (10)
May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
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| When I served in the U.S. Army Infantry
there were always buildings around whatever base I was stationed at that
carried the names of soldiers. Sometimes the buildings would be named after
influential generals that guided the service through some conflict or other.
But often they were named after Medal
of Honor recipients, and in particular those who died
earning the citation. The citation of the named soldier would usually be posted at the gym, movie theater, or or post exchange named after him. After heroic efforts were described the citation would detail his death, and the effect he had on his unit's mission. These citations are written in military lingo that sometimes seems uncomfortable for civilians in our politically correct society. Enemy combatants are "destroyed" or "rendered ineffective" and there's no mention of families left behind. But on memorial day, when I think of the service men and women that gave their lives for the United States of America, these citations give a name and deed to that act. Here's a citation from the web site linked to above. Go there if you want to read more about the selfless acts that some of these soldiers performed as their last duty. (Note: the monument above is from Fort Benning, GA, the training ground for the U.S. Infantry, and is titled "Follow Me" which is the motto of the infantry) |
| BEAUDOIN, RAYMOND
O.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company F, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hamelin, Germany, 6 April 1945. Entered service at: Holyoke, Mass. Birth: Holyoke, Mass. Citation: He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into action with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in, defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition. He then dug in himself at the most advanced position, where he kept up a steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force. Despite these defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon became more precarious, for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack. Three men, sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements, were killed by sniper fire. To relieve his command from the desperate situation, 1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make a 1-man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank, and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and secure help. Crawling over completely exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced, undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged. At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest; a third, who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed with the butt of his carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon's rifle fire as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by running toward a dugout, but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun. By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces. |
Posted by Lon at 11:47 AM
May 27, 2007
50 things you can actually do IN Chico
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| This week's issue of the Chico
News and Review has a story titled "50 things to do in Chico when it's dead".
Most people I've talked to recognize right-off-the-bat that at least half
of the 50 things aren't really in Chico. In fact, they listed "things"
like take a trip to San Francisco and go skydiving in Clovis or Davis. I know Evan Tuchinsky is relatively new to Chico, but I think the staff over at the CNR could have done a better job at holding true to the "in Chico" portion of the article's title. Maybe they meant to title it "50 things to do when it's dead in Chico". I can give them credit for listing out-of-town things like #17 "hike to Feather Falls", which is not in Chico, but definitely a day trip from here. On the other hand #21 "raft a white water river" probably won't happen around this town. In fact #19, "visit Santa Cruz and Monterey" makes me wonder if the CNR might have been co-opted by a bay area travel agency. Of course #12 "give disc golfing a go" and #19 "chill at the Chico observatory" give me hope that at least one Chicoan is still chained to a desk in the bowels of the News and Review. One of my favorite things to do is to vacation in Chico. Let life slow down, and do those things I used to do in college, when spare time was more plentiful. I've also come to recognize that spending time going to and fro spiffy locales to show my kid neat things might be better spent actually doing neat things in Chico. |
| As part of my eternal
effort to improve quality of life in Chico here is a list of "More
things to do in Chico when it's dead" that can be used to augment
the CNR list. These are things you can actually
do in Chico. More things to do in Chico when it's dead 1. Catch and release blue belly lizards in Bidwell Park 2. Catch and release the "ginormous" polly-wogs in the creek 3. Don't catch and release audible snakes in Bidwell Park 4. Walk the creek (in the creek) from the stop sign to Bear Hole 5. Rollerblade at night at CSU Chico 6. Swim in the Sacramento River, cold, but the current is fun 7. Have a picnic at Caper Acres and a swim at 1-mile 8. Eat sushi at the Raw Bar and then dance in the downtown fountain 9. Learn to use the B-line bus system 10. Spend an afternoon at the Bear drinking beer 11. Goto CARD's "Movies in the Park", they're free 12. Send your kids to CARD's "Camp Chi-Da-Ca" 13. Attend CARD's "Community Campout" (coming up soon) 14. Hike the North Rim, B-trail, park road loop (about 7 miles) 15. Hike 10-mile house road to the retention pond/picnic table 16. Swim at the 5-mile pool, oh wait, that's gone forever :( 17. Eat pastries and have a mocha at the Upper Crust bakery downtown 18. Sign up your kids for swimming lessons 19. Attend a City Council meeting (I didn't say "fun" things) 20. Buy fireworks in Hamilton City and put on a backyard show 21. Visit our local nurseries and plant a garden 22. Ride your bike to work for a week 23. Volunteer in Bidwell Park, contact Lise at the Park Department 24. Write a funny letter-to-the-editor 25. Call tell-it-to-the-E-R and complain about invasive air in a British accent 26. Teach your kids a new sport, preferably disc golf, maybe spelunking 27. Have a big party, be sure to invite me 28. Be a hero and adopt a cat or dog from the Humane Society 29. Barbeque tri-tip and sausage from Chico Locker 30. Show friends Chestnut,Hazel,Ivy,Cherry,Orange streets spell "Chico" 31. Explore the Devil's Kitchen in Upper Bidwell Park 32. Invite some friends over for dinner, don't try to sell them Amway 33. Get flashlights and go on a night-hike in the park, bring hot-chocolate 34. Park downtown, there are spaces everywhere 35. See if you can find the salmon at Salmon Hole in Upper Park 36. See if you can find the alligators at Alligator Hole in Upper Park 37. Give a cat a bath, everybody should live dangerously sometime 38. Go "garage sale-ing", buy a table, and and create a tile mosaic on it 39. See how close you can get to the turtles at Parking Area F 40. Pick blackberries in the park before "volunteers" remove them all 41. Buy cherries at farmers market and make a pie 42. Make a pot of sweet sun tea 43. Decorate your sidewalk with chalk art 44. Sample all burrito trucks in Chico to find your favorite one 45. Go thrift store shopping and find some funky T-shirts 46. Make a summer-time mixed playlist or CD, include some Jethro Tull 47. Play Legos on top of Monkey Face, make jets and fly back to the car 48. Canoe from Woodson Bridge to Irvine Finch 49. Explain to your kids the intent behind Memorial Day 50. Have a baby, that's what were going to do So there's another 50 things you can use to replace some of the stuff from the CNR list that costs lots of money or takes you out of Chico. Summertime is NOT the time to leave Chico. We just got our town back, and we've only got a few months to enjoy it. Stay in Chico. |
Posted by Lon at 12:00 AM
May 26, 2007
A Tele-Commissioner's Brush with the Brown Act
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| A string of emails written by Planning Commissioner
Jon Luvaas boomeranged around City Hall last week. The emails
had a few lawyers around town dusting off their copies of the
Brown Act. Here's a brief description of the purpose
of the Brown Act. "Local legislative bodies - such as boards, councils and commissions - are created in recognition of the fact that several minds are better than one, and that through debate and discussion, the best ideas will emerge. The law which guarantees the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies is the Ralph M. Brown Act." The Brown Act makes it illegal for a quorum (generally 4) councilors/commissioners to debate and discuss local issues, and/or make agreements on direction to take without public notice and an option for public input. The act makes it illegal to have "meetings" outside of the public view, and makes "serial" meetings illegal (meetings include things like email communication). One type of serial meeting is where one person contacts the others individually and acts as a communication hub. Using intermediaries to communicate information between a quorum of commissioners is also illegal. Luvaas' emails were written between May 1st and May 17th and make a number of detailed Planning Commission recommendations. At the time these emails were sent in to the Planning Department, and then sent out to the Planning Commission. In one case he writes as a "citizen" and not as a commissioner (because he cannot attend a meeting). It's unclear, but unlikely, that he can unilaterally declare himself no longer under the Brown Act. Luvaas makes a number of policy opinions on projects coming before the commission in these emails. For one project he even recommends that the commission vote to approve it. There's no doubt that the emails Luvaas wrote violate the spirit of the Brown Act. They constitute the first half of a serial meeting. The information he provides to other commissioners, particularly the recommendation to approve a specific project, should only have been made in public. I think the City Council should take this matter seriously and takes steps to eliminate backroom communications that might end up getting some commissioners in hot "legal" water. |
| Brown Act Particulars: Here's one area where the emails seem to contradict the Brown Act's purpose. As a general rule, information given to a majority of the members of the legislative body in connection with an open meeting must be equally available to members of the public. (§ 54957.5.) Before or during consideration of each agenda item, the public must be given an opportunity to comment on the item. (§ 54954.3(a).) Here's a description of "serial meetings". Typically, a serial meeting is a series of communications, each of which involves less than aquorum of the legislative body, but which taken as a whole involves a majority of the body’s members. For example, a chain of communications involving contact from member A to member B who then communicates with member C would constitute a serial meeting in the case of a five-person body. Similarly, when a person acts as the hub of a wheel (member A) and communicates individually with the various spokes (members B and C), a serial meeting has occurred. In addition, a serial meeting occurs when intermediaries for board members have a meeting to discuss issues. For example, when a representative of member A meets with representatives of members B and C to discuss an agenda item, the members have conducted a serial meeting through their representatives as intermediaries. The statutory definition also applies to situations in which technological devices are used to connect people at the same time who are in different locations. This section describes what constitutes a "meeting" and what should NOT be discussed? one should be mindful of the ultimate purposes of the Act -- to provide the public with an opportunity to monitor and participate in the decision-making processes of boards and commissions. As such, substantive conversations among members concerning an agenda item prior to a public meeting probably would be viewed as contributing to the development of a concurrence as to the ultimate action to be taken. Conversations which advance or clarify a member’s understanding of an issue, or facilitate an agreement or compromise among members, or advance the ultimate resolution of an issue, are all examples of communications which contribute to the development of a concurrence as to action to be taken by the legislative body. Accordingly, with respect to items that have been placed on an agenda or that are likely to be placed upon an agenda, members of legislative bodies should avoid serial communications of a substantive nature concerning such items. |
| Final Note: I
think it's important to talk a little bit about Jon Luvaas here. He's had
a bullseye on him a number of times in the last couple of years. Luvaas
sent these emails with the expectation that he'd miss the Planning Commission
meetings. I don' t think the emails represent much more than his honest
opinion.
I've
met
Jon a few times, and I believe he's doing what he thinks is best for Chico,
so I don't attribute malice to his actions or comments. But Jon's need to get his opinion out to the Planning Commission while he's on vacation is very close to a Brown Act violation. The detailed comments, out of the public eye, on particular agendized items runs counter to the purpose of the Brown Act. With these emails Luvaas is only 3 email responses (from other commissioners) from a provable Brown Act violation. Those responses may have already occurred outside of the city email system. Some enterprising young lawyer could file a public records act request for all Planning Commission emails between May 1st and 17th to see if 3 commissioners responded to his comments with the city's system. Keep in mind that emails into city planning staff on this topic could be seen as communication through an intermediary, and could also prove a Brown Act violation. To keep things above board the emails Jon sent should probably have been placed into a publicly accessible memo. But more importantly the information should have come from his mouth, at a meeting he could attend. Telecommuting into the Planning Commission is not a good idea. |
Posted by Lon at 07:11 AM | Comments (6)
May 23, 2007
An Epick Adventure
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| I can't do much more than feel sorry for
Pete Giampoli of Epick homes. After 10 years of trying to develop a property he
stood before the Planning Commission on 5-17 and endured 4 1/2 hours of
indesiciveness, strange comments, some rudeness, and in the end begged
for the Planning Commission to deny his proposal so he could move it to
the
council on appeal. They denied his request. One reason for that was that
after 4 1/2 hours they had only covered one or two topics of interest in
his plan. After 4 1/2 hours the Planning Commission didn't even come close
to doing their job. The development sets aside 1/3 of the property as permanent open space and wetlands. Above and beyond that Epick offered to purchase a 400 acre "mitigation bank" for the project(I'm not sure if the 400 acres is an actual mitigation bank, but it serves that purpose here). Giampoli was roundly criticized for buying into a bank outside of Butte County. In fact Susan Manasian said something along the lines of "how far away can they preserve land, can they purchase it in Thailand?". The land that would be preserved is outside of Butte County, but.... it's only 10 miles from the project. Giampoli was also nearly called a liar by John Merz because the 400 acres of wetland preserve (remember it's a distant 10 miles from the project) to be purchased wasn't all for this project, and that purchase wasn't complete. Both of these points are true. But as far as the city is concerned the federal and/or state agencies required to do so have already signed off on the use of the preserve for this project. Epick would only preserve 80 acres for this particular project, but they must purchase 400 acres in order to get those 80 acres. So if this method of mitigation were accepted 400 acres of wetlands would be preserved forever, and 320 of those acres might be used for mitigation on future projects. At the commission meeting Barbara Vlamis, of the Butte Environmental Council, said there was no reason to preserve the off-site 400 acres, because they weren't under threat of development. That seems to be putting ideology over law, or even good environmental policy. It's a lack of perspective on the big environmental picture. It's kind of like the highway 149 issue, where BEC missed the bigger picture of public safety in an effort to preserve a small piece of property. I think a lot more people would support BEC if it focused on the big issues, and it missed an opportunity to do that here. Epick owns the property they want to develop. They want to set aside a third of that property as open space, and set aside another 400 acres to mitigate this project and possibly some others. That sounds like an environmental coup to me. I don't know if the Council will ever do anything to get this commission to be less antagonistic towards private property owners. All politics aside, common courtesy should rule the day at these meetings. City staffers are definitely having problems with it. And at least one left leaning councilor has admitted that their is a problem. From a laymen's perspective last Thursday's meeting seemed unprofessional and intentionally biased against the applicant. |
| Here is the agenda item that discusses the
size and location of the project. I've marked in bold some interesting
staff opinions. Mountain Vista/Sycamore Glen Vesting Tentative Subdivision/Planned Development Permit (S/PDP 01-12 and S/PDP 00-11) and General Plan Amendment/Rezone 04-08 (Greenline Preservation Associates). The site is generally bounded by Floral Avenue on the west, Sycamore Creek on the north, Ceanothus Avenue on the east, and on the south by an existing Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) easement with electrical lines, Assessor's Parcel Numbers 016-200-067, -069, -070, -071, and -072 General Plan Amendment, Rezoning, and Tentative Maps/Planned Development Permits to allow development of a vacant 178-acre site with up to 679 residential units (409 single family homes and 270 multi-family units) and up to 25,000 square feet of neighborhood commercial building area. The proposals also include approximately 56 acres of permanent open space with wetland resources along the south side of Sycamore Creek. A Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) of the project was circulated for a fifty-four (54) day public review period ending February 7, 2005. The applicant proposes project design improvements that constitute a change of the project as it was described in the DEIR. No new environmental impacts are identified by these changes, and noise-related impacts, as well as potential impacts to wetland and biological resources, would be reduced. Proposed changes are addressed in a Revised Final EIR (RFEIR) Memorandum. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt resolutions recommending that the City Council: 1. Certify the Revised Final Environmental Impact Report; 2. Approve the proposed General Plan Amendment; 3. Conditionally approve the proposed Rezoning and Planned Development Permits; and 4. Conditionally approve the proposed tentative subdivision maps. |
Posted by Lon at 06:42 AM | Comments (9)
May 22, 2007
Swingtown
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| I'm not sure if you'll be able to "swing" through the fountains, but this looks like a fun downtown event. |
Posted by Lon at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2007
Hanging Chads and Slipped Discs
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| Over the last week, since the
E-R published a couple of stories on the Bidwell Park Master Management
Plan update, their web site has been running an online poll. The poll is shown above with disc golf clearly winning. But much like the 2000 presidential election there are contentious hanging chads related to this vote. These online polls typically store a "cookie" on your computer, so that you get one vote as long as that cookie exists in your system. Even the technically illiterate know that you can clear your cookies and in this case revote. Many online functions also make use of code that stops IP flooding. That means they only accept input from an IP once a minute or so. I'm not sure if this poll is set up that way. It's possible to automate this cheating, but you could also manually ratchet up the vote with a little patience. On Monday morning the "remove disc golf" vote increased by around 90 votes during a one-hour period. Subtracting those 90 leaves only 34 "remove disc golf votes" during a 24 hour period. This happened again Tuesday morning. In both instances the vote was increased to match the "keep disc golf" vote. Sometime between Friday and Sunday the "keep disc golf" vote increased by about 150. I wasn't watching it to see if it had happened during a short period, but the rate of change was not in-line with the votes occurring the week before, and could be from the "cookie delete revote" method. Nobody seems to have messed with the "scale the course back" vote. Accounting for the "cheating" the actual vote is probably closer to 100 votes against disc golf, and 400 for disc golf. Of course this poll is pointless except for having a little fun, and giving people a chance to sound off. The most important result of this poll is that it shows that some anti-disc golf folks are quick to cheat, while us pro disc golf people are a little slow to play the "game", but in the end willing to fight fire with fire. I hope this isn't an indication of how things will play out in the coming months. |
Posted by Lon at 07:55 AM | Comments (4)
May 20, 2007
A Citizen's Dedication
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| On Saturday, while thousands of college
educated young people evacuated Chico in search of corporate glory, hundreds
of home town locals gathered to memorialize veterans. The veterans memorial located on the East side of the downtown Plaza was dedicated to all of the people who have served in the armed forces. In Butte County roughly 10% of the population have served. The memorial was funded privately and cost about $120,000. On the back of the memorial is a list of people that helped get this monument built. Elected officials named on the memorial as contributors include Larry Wahl, Rick Keene, Wally Herger, and Scott Gruendl. I think Larry Wahl could rightly be described as one of the primary forces behind this effort, at least from the standpoint of public officials involved. Watching the memorial dedication drove home the value and importance of thanking veterans for their service. As a veteran myself, I certainly appreciate this privately funded effort coming from the community. I also recognize that service in our armed forces comes in many different flavors. I think of those who actually fought, and of course those who have died, as the veterans truly worthy of a memorial. I've seen some criticisms of the memorial locally. These seem to come from people that are generally unhappy, and can't separate their politics from community efforts. Shallow digs designed to minimize this representation of support for veterans are misguided at best. Everyone who contributed to this effort can be proud of the results. |
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Posted by Lon at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2007
Saving Nemo (or Move Over Peter Parker)
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| Laura Urseny writes a front page story on the 4 salmon rescued from Sycamore pool in today's E-R. Luckily the CI Investigative Photography team was on hand to capture the event, and I had one of my photos printed on the front page of the E-R. I've been interviewed a few times by local press, and was always happy to have a venue for my opinion. My blog sometimes gets "logged" in the E-R as well, which is also fun (even though it makes some people that don't know me think unkindly things of me). But for some reason I find myself very proud of getting a photo published. Today I feel kind of like Peter Parker. But I have to be fair and let people know that I learned everything about photography from watching Ty Barbour. See more photos on the next page. If you'd like to see some salmon that weren't so lucky check out this fundraiser for a local playground. |
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Posted by Lon at 09:21 AM | Comments (2)
May 17, 2007
Yeah!
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|
We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That
to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever
any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right
of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in
such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established
should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly
all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while
evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms
to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under
absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off
such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. See the entire Declaration of Independance here. |
| As my son said when we drove down the Esplanade yesterday, "it feels like home again". I just love that flag. By the way, fastest blog ever written! |
Posted by Lon at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2007
Big Decisions
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| With only
14 days until there's a new Glazner in the world I have some big decisions
to make. One of the big ones is regarding this blog. It takes a little time to put together a good blog entry (even less time to do a bad one). And the upside to it is pretty low. Most readers are just spectators and don't take an active roll, so feedback is limited. Some readers become downright nasty, but that's pretty rare. I lose 7-10 hours of my week writing this blog. So when the new baby comes I have to decide whether or not to end my time as a blogger, reduce the number of posts I make, change the topic of the blog so it takes less time to do, or find some other way to free up time that my new kid is going to need. It's a tough decision, because I enjoy the creative outlet, and know that I can sometimes provide information to the public that they wouldn't normally get. Here are other tough decisions I have to make before our new family member arrives. 1. Find a name for the baby, my wife just won't let me name it "Thor" (boy or girl - we don't know by the way). 2. Pick a company to buy carbon credits from so we can offset the baby's tiny carbon footprint. 3. Choose some public property to build an infant's disc golf course on. We've needed one for years, and I can't imagine anyone would oppose that. 4. Decide if I should run for City Council or just apply for the Parking Place Commission, where the real power is. 5. Develop and put in place a plan that will eventually trick my wife into believing that buying me a convertible GTO is a really good idea. So, as you can see I've got a lot on my plate. Any help would be appreciated. As for now, I'm off to help build a playground at 5AM. |
Posted by Lon at 04:54 AM | Comments (10)
May 14, 2007
Haste Makes Waste...Not!
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| In September of 2006 the Chico City Council
delayed making a decision on where to locate fire station 6. As I recall
Supervisor Jane Dolan, the firefighters union, and a few parents of Emma
Wilson kids
opposed locating the fire station at the corner of West 8th St. and Highway
32 (adjacent to Oak Way Park). This resistance had some effect, but the
Council also wanted to wait for BCAG to finish a Highway 32 traffic study
(BCAG
- Butte
County
Association
of Governments, runs the B-Line among other things). There was some concern over the possibility of a fire occurring while kids are being dropped off and the streets are packed with cars. Bringing back school buses would help address that problem, but realistically fire trucks have to get through all kinds of traffic as they cross town. I don't think that was a vailid argument. I'm a parent of an Emma Wilson kid, and I'd like to see the station built. If the school were ever to catch fire, I couldn't think of a better place for a fire station. At the time Andy Holcombe suggested moving the proposed fire station a few hundred feet to the opposite side of Oak Way Park, placing it on Oak Way and Highway 32. Larry Wahl had also located a private property owner that was willing to exchange a piece of property for some development rights. Either of these solutions were pretty good ones, both of these councilors voted against tabling the discussion to wait for BCAG. The reason I bring up this "retro" issue, is that at the time of the discussion the Fire Chief said that each month of delay would cost the city roughly $40,000 (I assume this is a combination of increased construction and ongoing lease costs). 8 months later that would put the cost of the delay at $320,000. For much less than that the City of Chico could have done it's own traffic study, and made a decision on this matter. Poor planning, indecisiveness, and succumbing to delay tactics are all things to avoid when the City is going broke. Fire station 6 is a good example of how not to build public infrastructure. |
Posted by Lon at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2007
Mother's Day
 |
| Moms make the world go 'round. I'm lucky enough to drop my son off at kindergarten twice a week, and I see that the vast majority of parents engaged in the school system are moms. They organize"play-dates", enroll the kids in CARD programs, tend to playground wounds, and talk amongst themselves in a way that only moms can do. I see good parenting as a norm in our community. On this Mother's Day I see moms in so many facets. My wife is 2 weeks from having our second child. She works two jobs, raises our son, and is active in her 9th month of pregnancy. She should get an award. I should buy her a boat or something. I think about my own mother. She died a decade ago from breast cancer. She raised 3 boys, and I was the youngest. What hell it must of been to live in a house full of boys. She lived long enough to see me married, but not long enough to meet our son. She would have loved my boy. What a happy life she gave me, and she made great meatloaf. I think about my mother-in-law who I first considered a kookie liberal, but now recognize her as the ultimate grandmother, and a generous friend. One day she'll take my son to Paris. I know that because she told him she would. So many of my friends have had kids in the last five or six years. They are all good parents, and the moms definitely lead the way. Not long ago our parties had more dogs than people running around. Now we've got so many kids underfoot that the dogs are hard to find (they're probably hiding). I also think of my friends who lost a child not long ago. Today will be a day of joy remembered and love lost. It will be the best and worst of days. I wish I could do something more for them. We owe a lot to our moms. They make the world go 'round. |
Posted by Lon at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
May 12, 2007
A Clarification and Warning!
 |
| I was forwarded a second email
from Mr. Abbott, this one directed an interesting diagnosis at me. But
first, in his email Abbott says that he is no longer a board member of
the "Friends
of
Bidwell
Park", and that his term ended on March 14th of this year. If that's the case it was probably incorrect for me to suggest his last email was a position held by the "Friends of Bidwell Park". In my defense though, Abbott was listed as a Board Member of that group at the time I made my last post, and is still listed as one at the time of this post. For the last several years Abbott was the spokesperson for the "Friends" in relation to disc golf, and his previous email did not make the distinction that he was no longer speaking for them. In the most recent email Abbott made the following statement about me... "...whoever forwarded my last missive to Lon Glazner to please not do that in the future. I consider the man to be Psychotic and whose actions are potentially dangerous to the health of members of the environmental community." Up until this email I was unaware of my infliction. This news was very troubling to me, and probably was a concern to the 50 or so other people he emailed (including some of the City Council). It's true that I always travel with several live grenades taped to my body. And once, while passing by a creek clean-up crew, I was tempted to pull the rings. I also tend to side-swipe recycling containers when I'm driving to work. I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but clearly I need stronger medication, professional help, and probably should be quarantined. I would like to thank Mr. Abbott for bringing this matter to my attention. And after a long conversation with all of my personalities, I have decided to quarantine myself until I am once again mentally sound. During this period I will continue to post to my blog so my 3 readers can check up on me. |
| Note: I receive a lot of emails and other information that I don't pass on through this blog. But broadcast emails are far from private correspondence, and when elected officials are included in the distribution they take on the role of political speech. While Mr. Abbott might not appreciate my decision to continue distributing his email to a wider audience, I think park users and the general public deserve the opportunity to take part in the discussion he started. I don't harbor any ill will towards Abbott for his opinions (even those related to my sanity), and if he's sincere about his concerns he should be happy I gave him a wider audience. |
Posted by Lon at 02:24 PM | Comments (2)
May 11, 2007
Tree Wars Escalate
|
| Dateline -
Chico, CA 2014 Commission Impossible - Tree War Escalates Chain saw wielding gangs of tree trimmers and marauding deviants continue to clear-cut residential areas of Chico. Few residents recall the catalyst that created this explosion of wanton anti-social behavior. But experts at the Chico State Behavioral Science Institute are beginning to piece things together. A strengthened tree-ordinance passed in 2007 put scores of arborists out of work. This large population of unemployed, but well equipped, tree experts quickly turned vicious. Some of them grouped together and began trimming and removing trees in the dark of night, as the black market for tree removal came into being. That group further splintered creating the West Side Chico Tree Gang (photo above). The West Siders began removing trees out of spite. Preferably large oaks or sycamores. The leader of this gang, who goes by "two-stroke", has claimed he won't stop until privots are the only trees left standing. Paralleling the development of the West Side Chico Tree Gang was the East Side Chico Tree Gang(photo below). The East Siders were originally part of a native plant society. After years of trying to remove privot and blackberry bushes from local parks East Side leader "round-up" militarized the group. The East Siders transformed from hating non-native invasive trees, to despising all trees of any kind. Together these two gangs have rampaged and destroyed most vegetation in Chico. This has transformed Chico from a "City of Trees" to a "City of Moderate Sized Shrubs", and left orphaned gray squirrels panhandling for nuts at the downtown plaza. In 2007 few could have foreseen the long term effects of the strengthened tree ordinance, or the creation of these two groups of chain saw wielding, tree hating, deviants. Many Chico residents are hoping that a new proposed ordinance that bans power tools city-wide will put an end to the tree wars. Only time will tell, and the law of unintended consequences remains in effect. |
 |
| Note: I need to give special thanks to the anonymous creator of the graphics in this satirical post. And I would point out to local tree ordinance supporters that this is just a little fun, don't get too wound up. |
Posted by Lon at 08:09 AM | Comments (5)
May 10, 2007
Downright Unfriendly
|
| What do you call an organization that gets
everything they ask for but still finds reason to complain. What do you
call a group
that can't seem to grasp the concept of compromise. Today, I call them
the "Friends of Bidwell Park". Prior to 2003 the City of Chico had completed an EIR (environmental impact report) for disc golf in Bidwell Park. Money was set aside to build the courses. There would be 45 disc golf holes, a beginner and advanced course with some seasonal options for fairways. In February of 2003 Josephine Guardino, currently the Secretary of the "Friends of Bidwell Park", hired the Law Offices of J. William Yeates to stop the construction of a disc golf course on procedural grounds. They demanded that an EIR for the entire park be completed before the disc golf courses be considered. In June of 2003 the City Council transferred money from the following accounts to pay for the EIR demanded by the out-of-town lawyer and local environmental group. Here's the Council minutes where the Master Plan and EIR are funded. Bidwell Park Master Management Plan 19005 -$62,000 from Park Fund (002); and transfer $206,000 from Disc Golf (10166) project; $25,000 from Upper Bidwell Park Resource Inventory (10146); and $58,000 from the Park Trail System EIR (12064) In 2006 the City of Chico hired an out-of-town biologist and professional disc golfer (professional... I know it's kind of funny) to design a disc golf course in Bidwell Park that was environmentally friendly. Working with EDAW (EIR consultants) he reduced the amount of area used by disc golfers by 30-40% and protected 90% of the Bidwell's Knotweed and Butte County Checkerbloom at the site. That course is what the City might one day build. The Bidwell Park and Playground Commission requested that an EIR be done on that course design. They still reserve the right to recommend reducing the disc golf area further or restoring the course area (restoring = remove disc golf). The EIR has been completed, and it doesn't look too bad for disc golf. It should be possible to build the reduced sized course and still have beginner and advanced areas. But are the "Friends of Bidwell Park" happy with protecting 90% of the plants they are concerned about? Do they see an upside to reducing the area used for disc golf by 30-40%? Are they content knowing that more than $300,000 came out of the park system and recreation projects for the EIR that ONLY THEY demanded? Let's take a look... |
| Before I go on, I would like to give the "Friends
of Bidwell Park" credit for all of the things they do that help our
park system. I know Bidwell Park would be a lesser place without their
volunteerism. That
doesn't give them greater ownership of the park. And unfortunately, dedication
and good intentions do not always equate to good decision making. Their
leadership falls back on lawsuits, obstruction, and misinformation when
things don't go their way. Yesterday I was not surprised when I received a copy of an email "Friends of Bidwell Park" Board Member Randy Abbott sent to Councilors Schwab, Flynn, and Nickell (as well as many others). After demanding via legal threats that a park wide EIR be completed, they just don't like the results. Here's the email... |
|
| Summary: Beyond the
obvious "impossible to please" component of this email, I find it telling
that the four park projects are described as "development". Beyond disc
golf, those projects include bridges (so people don't die crossing creeks)
and better trails. They include improvements to Cedar Grove and Horseshoe
Lake. Even the disc golf and trails projects are better for the environment
than what we have today. For the last few years disc golfers and environmentalists have been portrayed as uncompromising foes. That is a fallacy. The compromise necessary to build an environmentally sound disc golf course has already occurred. Some of our local environmentalist leaders seem unable to appreciate getting 90% of what they asked for. It's about time for someone in the environmental community to stand up and say "the "Friends" don't speak for me!". Alternatively, we can all sit and watch as wedge after wedge is driven between park users and our self appointed park protectors. While I don't look forward to the public sparring over disc golf that's likely to be necessary in the coming weeks I'm not willing to look the other way as thousands of young, lower income people, might be removed from our park system. |
Posted by Lon at 07:46 AM | Comments (1)
May 09, 2007
Downtown Party Zone
|
| I rarely turn down an offer to go to a party. Especially one where I know I can find some of the best cookies in town. But I probably can't make this one since I'll need to be home being a parent. Who knows, maybe I'll bring the kid and stop by. But I received the invite above, and the email below from TJ Glenn, a local architect, and downtowner. It sounds like the organizers would be happy to have anyone interested show up. A couple months ago we asked Prof. Greg Berryman’s Senior Graphic Design Class to do a branding class project for the downtown. The students presented them the other day to a few merchants and we like and appreciate them so much that we are going to show them off at the Upper Crust this evening between 6-8p. Our original idea was to just get other merchants to see the artwork but it is quickly getting bigger than that. In fact, this is putting the “town and gown” talk into action with the merchants, so come and see the possibilities in “live streaming” reality. It would be great if you could stop by for wine, cheese, munchies and inspiring ideas for downtown branding. I promise you that you will leave with a good feeling about the downtown. We have been knocking on merchants’ doors with invites for the last two days and it has been going very well so far. We have even gotten several great ideas just in casual conversation. I like some of the downtown marketing I've seen lately ("shop outside the box" billboard comes to mind). I work downtown, but not in the retail sector, and would like to see some more of the downtown vacancies filled. I'm glad there are some dedicated locals looking at the marketing options available to this area of Chico. |
Posted by Lon at 01:38 PM | Comments (3)
May 08, 2007
Symptoms of a Wealthy Society
| I don't know if this video is real or not (but I'm guessing it's fake).
Either way I think it proves Americans have too much time on
their hands. If it's real, only a truly wealthy society would allow for the extreme specialization of skills displayed in this video. On the other hand, if the video is fake, only a truly wealthy society would allow such a well made fraud to be completed with no economic incentive. Still, it's fun to watch. |
Posted by Lon at 04:59 PM | Comments (2)
May 07, 2007
The Boston Tree Party
 |
| My post "Leaf
My Private Property Rights Alone", initiated a number of responses to the strengthened Tree Ordinance
proposed by the group Tree Action (www.treeaction.org).
The topic is two weeks old, but a recent post by the organizer of Tree
Action seems to indicate that they have backed away from asking that single
home dwelling residential trees be covered by a stronger ordinance. I think that's a good development in the whole discussion. But since the topic was falling back in the "blog calendar" I've promoted it here so it can continue with greater "viewership". Here is Mr. Gair's most recent comment. I concede that strong views, and an antisocial attachment to private property rights has fueled the unreasonable concern of those with a wildwest attitude that "what's yours is mine, and what's mine's my own." and I will explain when I can find my gun. They have their rights but we also have ours. Your "out of my dead hands quote" says it all to me. We are today I believe a more civil society, and the political shifts that are now being brought about by that kind of polarising attitude will hopefully be its undoing at the next election. It is dificult to come to terms with that sort of extremism and totalitarian approach-"I'm right and you are wrong, and if you don't agree with me then you are a Nazi liberal. As you will see on our website www.treeaction.org we have been flexible and taken input pro and con about the ordinance-that is what our discussion was about. Why did you not move out from the comfort of your blog and join it? You still could. In fact as a concession we have agreed that it is unrewarding to meet head on such embedded and inflexible opposition, so we have modified our proposals to take trees on property with single family homes out of our ordinance. You win. I hope that makes you happy and over time I hope to meet the 100,000 enlightened and ecologically aware Chico area residents who you say know and love trees, and will only take them down when they become inconvienient. Hopefully you will undertake to keep the chain saw wielding gangs of tree trimmers and the few marauding deviants you acknowledge under control. In the meantime we will continue to enrol those thousands with more moderate and openminded views to support our ordinance. When do we meet for the discussion I asked for and you promised? Alan Gair for TreeAction. |
Posted by Lon at 06:40 AM | Comments (3)
May 05, 2007
Dance Fever
 |
| Next Friday (5-11) the Downtown Chico Business Association
(DCBA) will begin its new season of Friday Night Concerts. The New Plaza
should be a great venue with the acoustical stage as a backdrop. I don't
know if the City intends to keep the fountains on, but I hope so. I can't
think of anything more fun than watching kids and a few adults dancing
in the fountains as Chico's summer starts to heat up. Here's the DCBA description. Weekly, May 11th - September 28th 7-8:30pm, Downtown Plaza For 29 years, Chico's favorite summertime tradition has been the Friday Night Concerts. Held weekly May 11th through September 28th from 7-8:30pm, the Friday Night Concerts are Chico's best place to hear live, local music. Come and join us in the newly remodeled Downtown Plaza, the best place to hear free live music in town! The concerts offer entertainment to suit every musical preference - styles range from blues to swing and from country to reggae. The musical acts that are scheduled are on display on posters downtown, but not on the DCBA web site. They include some of the past standards like Spark N' Cinder. |
Posted by Lon at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2007
Planning Commission Takes The "Reigns"
|
| On 5-3-07 the Planning Commission turned down a small development that met all of the General Plan guidelines and asked for no variances. The development is described in the agenda as follows... 4.1 Las Palomas Tentative Subdivision Map S 06-12 (Air-Vol Block, Inc.) 750 & 754 E. Lassen Avenue; APNs 007-200–011 & -012 (Noticed 3-3-07) (Public Hearing 3-15-07) (Noticed 4-21-07) - A request to subdivide two existing parcels to create 14 lots for single family residential development. The site is designated Medium Density Residential on the General Plan Diagram. The site is also located in Compatibility Zone C2 for the Chico Municipal Airport, and is currently being annexed into the City. The project is categorically exempt from environmental review pursuant to Section 15332 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (Infill Development Projects).Staff recommends approval of the Tentative Subdivision Map, as conditioned. (Staff Report: Associate Planner Redeker) Approval of the small development failed on a 3-3 vote (tie loses in local politics, Kirk Monfort was absent), but protection of trees seemed to be a major sticking point. Planning Commissioner Susan Minasian wanted trees protected that were not covered under the tree ordinance, and stated that waiting for a "policy change" to protect the trees was not to her liking. Planning Commissioner Dave Kelly said he wasn't comfortable not approving a plan that met all of the requirements of the General Plan. Those requirements included density and zoning issues. |
| Summary: The Chico Planning Commission has taken on an activist role. They don't seem to be content reviewing development issues through the legal lens of General Plan requirements. They have a higher calling. For builders in the community the rule book has pretty much been thrown away. Today, if you work with the City of Chico to build homes for people, and you meet all of the requirements set forth by the City Council, you haven't cleared the highest hurdle. The Planning Commission has set itself above Council and code. Maybe we should be electing them. My prediction... lawsuits. |
Posted by Lon at 04:01 PM | Comments (12)
May 02, 2007
Grand Jury Interested In Chico Planning?
 |
| There are indications that the Butte
County Grand Jury is investigating the City of Chico's
planning process. The Grand Jury performs both criminal indictments and civil investigations, and there's no indication that any kind of criminal investigation is occurring. The Butte County Grand Jury has historically investigated a number of regional government issues including school districts and development or planning issues in other Butte County communities. This section of the Grand Jury web site describes a likely reason for focus on planning issues in Chico. The civil, or "watchdog" responsibilities of the grand jury include the examination of all aspects of county government, including cities and special districts, to ensure the county is being governed honestly and efficiently and county monies are being handled appropriately. The grand jury is mandated by law to inquire into the conditions and management of public jails. Investigations may be conducted on public agencies, the administration and affairs of any city within the county, or to examine books and records of redevelopment agencies. It is also appropriate for any private citizen, county official or county employee to present a written complaint to a grand jury for investigation. During its term, the grand jury may select the government affairs which it wishes to investigate. These investigations are conducted by grand jury committees in cooperation with the departments and agencies of the county. Committees may ask for support and advice from Superior Court, District Attorney's office, County Counsel or outside consultants. Given recent lawsuits, employee discontent, and public pronouncements of a broken system, it would not be hard to imagine that the Grand Jury might decide to focus on Chico this year. However, it is not clear what issues they are looking at and the examples given may not be where their interest lies. It will be interesting to see if anything comes from this process. |
Posted by Lon at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 01, 2007
Hitting The Books... Again
 |
| Here is what the draft
Bidwell Park Master Management Plan and draft EIR look
like. In case you're wondering the consultants that put the document(s)
together
didn't double space or shrink the margins to make
it look "bigger". But I think they were able to get the final report
to come in at less than $1,000 per page, which is always a good thing. The covers, by the way, are photos of hole 2 of the advanced disc golf course, and if you look really hard you can see the disc golf target. This is fitting since $209,000 the Council set aside to build a disc golf course was used to pay for much of this plan. Personally, I'm glad that the plan is done. It doesn't seem too long ago that I watched the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission spend meeting after meeting giving birth to the section that guides priorities and implementation. All of the commissioners deserve credit for putting in the time to do the job. They are all volunteers. A couple of them deserve credit for making it take a lot longer, but that was their prerogative. I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary in the EIR, but I suspect some environmental folks will be tinkering with it in the coming weeks. The disc golf portions came out mostly as expected. The new course design mitigates most of the impact to plants and trees, and still allows for a challenging recreational component to exist. One alternate disc golf design puts a beginner course in Comanche Creek (removing the beginner course off of highway 32). While this is an interesting idea it has its drawbacks. One drawback is that it's probably not under consideration by the Southwest Chico neighborhood plan currently being developed. That's the whole left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing thingy. Hmmm... I wonder what the neighbors would think? Anyway, I've got two offers for a free pitcher of beer if I read both of the documents above. Since those occurred without my prompting, I thought I'd open up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to my other blog reader. This is starting to feel like I'm back in college. Now where's my beer bong, and how soon can I get my Facebook page up and running? |
Posted by Lon at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)