A WAR ON OUR SUBURBS

August 4, 2020

Dear Fellow Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

President Trump proactively canceled President Obama’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulation last week. The Biden campaign vowed to reinstate it on day one. It’s drawing more attention as others realize its full reach displayed in Westchester NY. Here is a short video explaining the situation Westchester NY

CA State housing legislation (housing legislation) has overpowered our local control with their bills over the past few years. I wondered how much of the AFFH - so antithetical to local government/local control, schools, and personal property rights influences our housing legislation.

Per Wikipedia, “AFFH is a provision of the 1968 Federal Fair Housing Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The law requires that "All executive departments and agencies shall administer their programs and activities relating to housing and urban development in a manner affirmatively to further the purposes of the “Fair Housing Act”. A NY Post article of 7/21/2020 explains that in 2015 “Obama’s HUD initiated a rule for “balanced housing” in every suburb. “Balanced” meant affordable even for people who need federal vouchers”. This rule obliges cities to do more than guarantee non-discrimination in housing. Towns had to make it possible for low-income minorities to choose suburban living and provide “adequate support to make their choices possible.” This means that towns everywhere would scrap zoning, build bigger water and sewer lines to support high-density housing, expand schools, social services, and add mass transit while increasing local taxes to pay for it all. Towns that refuse would lose their Federal aid. Sound similar to what the State of CA is forcing on its cities and towns?

The AFFH is a bridge too far; a Federal power-grab to control local zoning, local schools, and local taxes in the name of equality. Please read the AFFH yourself to draw your own conclusions.

Ninety five percent of dwellings in Orinda are single-family detached homes. Homeowners in a neighborhood with quarter-acre zoning do not want a high-density housing complex built on the adjoining lot overlooking their back yard and that is what is allowed in these bills. The housing legislation eliminates single-family zoning throughout California. Single family zoning is a property right we gain when we purchase our home. We are witnessing theft of private property rights and abuse of power by the State of California. Single family zoning is not discriminatory nor is it immoral as Senator Scott Wiener suggests. As the short video says, "zoning dictates what gets built and where; not who lives there".

Here are nine housing laws pending in our CA legislature this month. All of these bills without exception further diminish the power of local control, increase densities, allow multiple dwellings on single family lots, and are rife with vague language and inconsistencies. If we don’t fight this tyranny, our single family zoning will be gone. The legislature has betrayed us and has declared war on all California suburbs. This is a war California suburbs need to win.

Founder of Livable California, Susan Kirsch, has aggregated these bills here: Nix the Nine. Another version of the nine bills is located here: Livable CA.

As a minimum: (1) forward this newsletter to all other Californians and ask for their action, (2) call/write your City Council Members, and (3) contact: Senator Glazer (925) 258-1176, and Assembly Member: Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (925) 328-1515 or call your State Senator and State Assembly Member.

Action is required by August 17, 2020.

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

Contributed by: K. Jenkins

Along Came a Virus

May 31, 2020

Dear Fellow Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

While distracted with your family’s health and education needs during the pandemic, State housing density legislation is being rammed through with scarce notice and little input from the public.

Our legislators are out of touch with changing housing needs caused by the virus. The technology revolt is here. Facebook, Twitter/Square, and Google allows (100%) remote work through 2020. Facebook is considering a (40%) permanent remote workforce; Twitter & Square allows a (100%) permanent remote workforce. An SF Gate article of 5/22/2020 reviewed a 4,400-tech survey conducted by Blind concluding that 2 out of 3 tech workers will leave SF permanently if allowed to work remote. BART ridership for the May 2020 is 7% of May 2019 ridership levels, per ABC7News, 5/28/2020.

We’re presenting a housing density package of five bills below we’d like your action on. There are many housing bills but imperative that we focus on these:

· SB-1120 (McGuire/Wiener). This bill would 1) double (or more) the density of homes per single-family zoned parcel by allowing two homes per parcel with a minimum of 1200 sq. ft of land/unit, and 2) allow splitting one lot into 2 parcels that could accommodate 2 units each. Either option allows ministerial review and no notice to your neighbors or public hearing. No CEQA required because it is done through ministerial review.

· SB-902 (Wiener). This bill authorizes that by city ordinance, a city can override zoning or voter-approved zoning on any parcel while allowing up to 10 residential units/parcel at a height specified by the ordinance, if that parcel is located in a transit-rich area (within ½ mi. of BART; or bus route with routes with15 minute stops), a jobs-rich area, or an urban infill site. There is no CEQA applicable for an ordinance adopted under such conditions.

· SB-995 (Atkins). For the purpose of streamlining and expediting environmental review for housing projects, a lead agency shall prepare a master environmental impact report for a general plan, plan amendment, plan element, or specific plan for housing projects where the state has provided funding for the preparation of the master Environmental Impact Report which would limit the environmental review of subsequent projects that are described in the master EIR, as specified.

· SB-1385 (Caballero). This bill would unlock existing land zoned for office and retail use and allow housing to become an eligible use on those sites. It also would extend the state’s streamlined ministerial housing approval process to office and retail sites that have been vacant or underutilized for at least three years.

· SB-1085 (Skinner). This bill would enhance the existing Density Bonus Law by increasing the number of incentives provided to developers in exchange for providing specified percentages of households of low or moderate incomes and for which rent is 30% below the market rate for that city or county. Among other incentives, this bill would increase the percentage density bonus to 40% for housing developments that have 11% of its units for very low-income households.

Help us defeat this package of legislation that is detrimental to our neighborhoods and quality of life in Orinda. Click here: https://www.livablecalifornia.org/act-now-3/ for letters that have been authored/pre-addressed for the Senate Appropriations Committee by Livable California. Each bill is summarized and you can hit ‘click to send’ and an opposition letter will appear allowing you to alter the text before sending. Fill in your name and email address, click on ‘Sign Now’. It takes 10 minutes to do all five so do it now.

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

Contributed by: Kathleen Jenkins, Orinda Watch

A War on Local Control

January 21, 2018

Dear Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

We’d like to discuss Senate Bill (SB 827), the most destabilizing and radical housing legislation to affect our City to date, introduced by Scott Wiener on 1/3/18, District 11, Senate, San Francisco. The sponsor is California YIMBY. Following is the main thrust of the bill:

(1) SB 827. ”This bill would authorize a transit-rich housing project to receive a transit-rich housing bonus. The bill would define a transit-rich housing project as a residential development project the parcels of which are all within a 1/2-mile radius of a major transit stop or a 1/4-mile radius of a high-quality transit corridor, as those terms are further defined. The bill would exempt a project awarded a housing opportunity bonus from various requirements, including maximum controls on residential density or floor area ratio, minimum automobile parking requirements, design standards that restrict the applicant’s ability to construct the maximum number of units consistent with any applicable building code, and maximum height limitations, as provided”. These meet the parameters of SB 375 to help plan sustainable communities at the regional level.

(2) SB 827 mentions nothing about affordable housing

(3) The bill declines any additional State investment in our schools, parks, or fire services.

(4) The zoning relief would embolden BART to proceed with Transit Oriented Development on BART property

(5) Any ‘high quality transit corridor’, means a corridor with fixed route bus service that has service intervals of no more than 15 minutes during peak commute hours.

This item is tentatively set for the City Council Agenda of February 6, 2018. Watch for it here: https://orindaca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx

What Can You Do

SB 827 preempts all local control and local planning from the City of Orinda and replaces it with state minimum zoning in the affected areas. This bill must be defeated and we need your help. Contact our representatives for their support to defeat this:

Catharine Baker, District 16, Assembly, send email on the following website: https://ad16.asmrc.org/

Steven Glazer, Senate District 7, send email on the following website: http://sd07.senate.ca.gov/contact/email

Watch for the upcoming City Council Meeting Agenda February 6, 2018. If on the agenda view the meeting on video or better yet, join us in person and speak to the issue.

We plan to discuss this and other topics at our meeting

Come join us for a lively discussion tomorrow night, Monday, January 22, 2018 at the Orinda Community Center, Room 8, 6:00-8:00pm. We will discuss downtown development issues as well as other City issues.

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

In a New York minute…

October 22, 2017

Dear Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

In our last newsletter, we mentioned the upcoming creation/ prioritization of an updated Orinda Streetscape Master Plan for 2018/2019. Orinda Planning presented a spreadsheet at the 10/3/17 Orinda City Council (OCC) meeting that color-coded the Downtown recommendations from ULI and Main Street. Even though the consultant purview was limited to the Downtown, this Streetscape Master Plan will update the existing Orinda Streetscape Plan while expanding the reach to cover the entire downtown, including the BART station and connecting paths. Attached is the City’s request for funding, dated September 2017 that defines the steps for updating the Streetscape Master Plan (hereinafter ‘Plan’).

Orinda Watch cautions the City to base the input for the Plan not directly from the consultants recommendations but base it upon citizen review/input of consultant recommendations before formulating any statement of work for another consultant to create a draft conceptual design plan. Citizens consider the culture of Orinda, the demographics of Orinda, and the values of its citizens, whereas the consultants do not.

Come join us for a lively discussion tomorrow night, Monday, October 23, 2017 at the Orinda Community Center, Room 8, 6:00-8:00pm. We will discuss Downtown development issues as well as other City issues

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

Who Controls Orinda?

September 17, 2017

Dear Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

We realize more every day that no matter whoever we elect to the Orinda City Council, that representative is constantly pulled by the California State Legislature to do its bidding over the needs and priorities of the citizens of Orinda. Council meeting after council meeting, the majority of votes on the council go toward serving the priorities of Sacramento over the needs and priorities of the City of Orinda because of our appetite for grant funding. Following is a typical example.

Streetscape Design Concept

Pursuant to an OCC meeting on 9/6/2016, the OCC decided to engage two consultant groups, NMSC and ULI, to provide a collective vision for Downtown Orinda. ULI was asked to review streetscape design concepts at that time. Presentations were given in April and May by the two hired consultant groups. To date, there has been no discussion on further details to move forward on any of the recommendations from the presentations. However, our Summer 2017 edition of The Orinda Way informed us that Orinda submitted an application to CCTA for $200,000 in Measure J Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) and the CCTA funding was approved on 6/21/17. There has been no mention in an OCC agenda engaging the residents prior to asking for the CCTA funding. An action of the OCC at the 9/5/2017 meeting called for a vote by the councilmembers to approve $50,000 of Orinda funding. The vote was approved by all except Eve Phillips, our mayor.

When did a streetscaping master plan update for downtown Orinda become a priority for Orinda? I read where this was an Orinda priority in 2000 – that was 17 years ago. I don’t believe it. Furthermore, why aren’t the residents of Orinda engaged before requests are made for grant funding and our $50,000 matching funds? The reasons we are given for an updated streetscaping master plan has to do with providing better access for the residents. A more obvious question is what developers are we trying to attract to our little City? According to the CCTA Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) funding program, “five percent of sales tax revenues are to be used to implement specific transportation projects that encourage the use of alternatives to the single occupant vehicle such as: pedestrian, bicycle and streetscape facilities, traffic calming and transit access improvements.”

When taking grant money, Orinda is obligated to follow grant rules as a condition of the grant. Orinda remains qualified for grant money if we accept other legislative actions we’ve seen recently and maintains our reporting activities as obligated. Let’s admit who has made TOD access a priority for Orinda. If you guessed Sacramento you would be correct and Sacramento will keep controlling Orinda until we stop taking grant money.

We are supported by donations from our local citizens. If you like what you hear and appreciate the service we do for you, please contribute to Orinda Watch at our mailing address below to help support our website and our monthly meetings, open to all residents.

Come join us for a lively discussion tomorrow night, Monday, September 18 at the Orinda Community Center, Room 8, 6:00-8:00pm. We will discuss downtown development issues as well as other City issues

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

ORINDA WATCH – Setting the Record Straight

June 25, 2017

Dear Fellow Orindans,

We at Orinda Watch wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable upcoming July, 4th holiday to celebrate our heritage and our liberty with family and friends.

Stop by the Orinda Watch booth on the 4th of July, located in front of the Orinda Community Center. We’d love to meet you.

We would like to take the opportunity to set the record straight on who we are, what we stand for, and who supports us because there seems to be some confusion:

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of Orinda citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance

No, we are not supported by the Koch Brothers. We are supported by donations from our local citizens. If you like what you hear and appreciate the service we do for you and the residents, please contribute to Orinda Watch at our address below to help support our website www.orindawatch.org and our monthly meetings that are open to everyone.
No, we are not against development in the Orinda Downtown commercial district. We are in favor of commercial development that respects and conforms to our existing General Plan that supports the needs of our residents

We watch the infiltration of regional planning influence into our City by watching the OCC Meeting Agendas. The manner in which MTC/ABAG coerces local jurisdictions to conform to regional planning compliance is through financial carrots that cash-strapped cities are willfully eager to sign in order to gain transportation money for various future or planned projects. Did you know that in 1985 Orinda signed a Joint Power Agreement with ABAG? We pay dues annually to ABAG. The other Bay Area cities pay ABAG dues on the order of $1.7M/year. Each city pays dues prorated by the number of residents.

Plan Bay Area 2040 – More Housing

May 22, 2017

Dear Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

On July 19, 2013, in spite of the great opposition expressed by the majority of people who turned out to oppose Plan Bay Area, members of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), voted to pass Plan Bay Area - affecting land use, housing, city development, and transportation for nine Bay Area counties. Those who opposed Plan Bay Area realized that this plan was a direct assault on our way of life in the Bay Area.

As a precursor to Plan Bay Area, Darrell Steinberg’s 2008 Senate Bill 375 created the state mandate requiring a Sustainable Community Strategy plan as part of a Regional Transportation Plan. In essence, its premise was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by building affordable high-density housing near transportation centers. In our estimation, it was an effort to control residents by increasing the size of our cities, increase the amount of vehicular traffic, and relegate its incremental social and safety costs to each affected city.

Pacific Research Institute, Wendell Cox, offers the following opinion on building affordable housing in the Bay Area:

“It will not be possible to restore housing affordability in the Bay Area, either for low-income households or other households, without restoring a competitive land supply. The continuing and substantial disparity of the Bay Area’s cost of living, much due to its inferior housing affordability, will make it less competitive relative to other metropolitan areas. This further implies that the aggressive population growth assumptions of Plan Bay Area are implausible.” This means that matter how much affordable housing we build, it will still not be affordable to the targeted income levels.

The Contra Costa County Open House for Plan Bay Area 2040 was held in Walnut Creek on May 10th. The huge crowd of 20-25 people present attests to their open and transparent communication process. No verbal comments were accepted and only written comments were accepted at this Open House.

MTC/ABAG has been successful assigning the large RHNA housing allocations for each Bay Area city and monitoring the statistics as it relates to income levels. Remember, this is a voluntary program according to MTC/ABAG but inaction may involve a lawsuit for any non-participating city.

The Action Plan for Plan Bay Area 2040 involves two new implications for the Bay Area cities: (1) ABAG is preparing an application to the federal US Economic Development Admin to make the 9 counties a federal Economic Development District. A committee has developed a draft CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy). It would consolidate counties into four Districts - North, South, East, and West and promote regional taxation, and (2) they’ve established a Committee for Affordable and Sustainable Accommodations (CASA) to develop new strategies for additional housing. The outcome will likely be a ‘range of legislative, regulatory, financial, and market-related measures needed for more affordability housing’. A multi-county fee or bond measure may be one the recommendations from CASA.

Both ULI and NMSC consultant groups have recommended housing as part of the Orinda downtown revitalization strategy. Both organizations are tied into the ULI organization and regional planning. The Orinda groups that met with the consultants who wanted more retail, more restaurants, an exposed creek, and shopping were duped. Housing in downtown Orinda was always part of the plan. These firms do not understand Orinda’s culture. It’s our culture, we own it, and it’s our job to protect i

The First Step in Eliminating a Culture is Denying Its Existence

April 23, 2017

Dear Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

Approximately 150 Orindans attended the Orinda City Council (OCC) Meeting held on Tuesday, April 11, 5:00 Special Meeting for the ULI TAP presentation of their recommendations for our downtown improvements. OW as well as various diverse-minded Orinda groups met with ULI to provide input the day before, April 10th, with their own ideas of downtown improvement. OW looked for evidence in the presentation that our input was considered but regional planning ideas dominated the presentation – less vehicular traffic, housing downtown, and less parking.

Instead of delving into the pros and cons of the many ULI ideas presented, suffice it to say that many of the main ideas presented are riddled with tradeoffs conflicting with Orinda’s cultural norms. Many of the ideas will be reduced to pointless “for” or “against” arguments, further coalescing residents into diverse groups that only support their ideas, when in reality none of us have a say in the matter when it comes to decisions concerning private property we don’t own.

One refreshing aspect of market driven economics and local control is that we don’t dictate what businesses we want downtown. It’s none of our business. If our downtown property owners agree to remodel their buildings or decide to sell to others who want to develop the property, it is at their business risk, not ours. City of Orinda Planning is there to provide approval for plans that meet our General Plan. If the OCC votes to deny an application for a new business that meets the General Plan, as they have in the recent past, they are solely responsible to the community for the economic vitality that the business could have contributed and also the lingering reputation that suggests that Orinda is not open for business. If a member of our OCC gets personally involved with developers, well, we know what happened the last time that occurred.

Inviting regional planning ideas into our City takes on a different approach to downtown development. As we experienced from the encounter with the ULI TAP team, we provided input to ULI but ULI didn’t consider the culture of the community. The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to “provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.” As we’ve come to understand ULI’s philosophy while researching ULI’s website, responsible land use is infested with regional politics and heavy handed regional planning from Sacramento as dictated to cities through regional governance – Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).

It only makes sense that one cannot mandate a more economically thriving community but they can always build buildings that no one will lease and create an economic environment that won’t be supported by the residents.

We believe that the best ideas for promoting economic vitality of downtown come from a local level, guided by local policy, informed by local conditions, needs and markets. So, like others, we will take a ‘watch and see attitude’ for new locally inspired businesses opening in the development at 25A Orinda Way (aka Bella Oaks). We wish them success. We anticipate the presentation of National Main Street Center (NMSC) projected for mid May 2017.

Come join us for a lively discussion at our monthly meeting on Monday, April 24th at the Orinda Community Center, Room 8, 6:00-8:00pm. We will discuss downtown development issues as well as other City issues.

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

3/26/2017

Orinda - Culture with Attitude

Dear Fellow Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

The title of this newsletter is taken from an article published in the San Francisco Examiner, Sunday, June 20, 1999 about Orinda. I received the article from another member of Orinda Watch and long time resident. Following are excerpts taken from the article.

“Orinda – its streets are narrow and cracked, many of its homes are small and modest in appointments, its foliage in parts is reminiscent of the jungle. But in the eyes of many, this town remains the most prestigious in Contra Costa County.”

“The town, population 17,348, has an attitude, a la Greta Garbo: it wants to be left alone and takes a dim view of any developer attempting the large and ambitious.

One developer is attempting just that: 225 homes. So far, the application has taken over 12 years, longer than it took the United States to fight the Civil War, WWI and WWII. When Orinda looks in the mirror, it sees or would like to see Provence, restrained, cultured.”

“Orinda is tax poor; relatively few stores, no big ones, to generate revenue. Residents may be affluent, but they drive on old and cracked streets.”

“In the 1960’s, the county and developers learned that banging heads with Orinda was costly and time consuming. The residents attended all the meetings and took notes, they haggled over the smallest points, they hired lawyers and if something was approved they didn’t like, a lawsuit might follow.”

“Think Berkeley married to the Daughters of the American Revolution and you will grasp the confidence Orinda has in itself and its opinions. In a nutshell, residents believe that life should be infused with art and culture, that trees should be left to flourish, that deer and wildlife should be protected, that homes should be tasteful retreats from the toil and strife of the world.”

There you have it my fellow residents, the attitude of our Orindans in 1999. Do we still have the attitude it takes to protect and defend the things that convinced us to call Orinda our home? I believe we do.

Regards,

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

***

February 26, 2017

Is 2017 the Year Orinda Loses Local Control?

Orinda Watch, as well as other citizen groups in Orinda, were afforded a half-hour appointment with a representative of National Main Street to discuss ideas for ‘economic revitalization’ of downtown Orinda. Suffice it to say that we spent the half hour describing the demographics of the residents and suggested more retail akin to the new development approved at 25A Orinda Way that meets the Orinda General Plan (OGP). Mr. Wagner asked us one question at the end of our half hour session, ‘How do you feel about housing in Downtown Orinda’?

We’d like to discuss several concerns surrounding the economic revitalization of downtown Orinda as it relates to local control: (1) The Orinda General Plan, 1987 – 2007, (2) A Specific Downtown Plan, (3) Downtown Orinda, a Priority Development Area (PDA), and (4) Orinda Citizen Vote for an Updated General Plan.

(1) The Orinda General Plan, 1987 - 2007.

If you are not familiar with the OGP, following is the first paragraph entitled ‘Background’. The OGP can be found on the City of Orinda website.

“The community of Orinda incorporated on July 1, 1985, after 100 years of gradual development. One of the primary reasons cited by many Orindans for supporting incorporation was the desire for local decision making. Land use planning and development application review by local citizens was thought to be of primary importance. This feeling stemmed from a widely accepted desire to preserve the quality of the natural and man-made living environment that has evolved in Orinda. The timing of incorporation was crucial due to the extreme regional pressure for more intensive development and redevelopment of the area. The City of Orinda's first general plan, therefore, serves as more than a planning document but also as an embodiment of many of the community's values and goals. The General Plan is also considered to be the consensus "blueprint" for the future development of the community.”

As the OGP serves as the embodiment of the values and goals of the residents, it follows that all recommendations from either consultant group, National Main Street or Urban Land Institute, should meet the general plan – we’ll see.

(2) A Specific Downtown Plan.

Through attending various Orinda City Council meetings, there was mention of updating the OGP for an estimate of $300K to $500K. It has also been mentioned that perhaps a specific downtown plan should be considered for the downtown revitalization project. We’ve discussed in an earlier newsletter, that some adjoining cities we’ve researched have opted for a specific downtown plan due to the cost of changing their general plan. This is a slippery slope. If the changes are not incorporated into the general plan, there is a very good chance the specific downtown plan will not be in compliance with the general plan. We are proponents of updating the OGP to accommodate revitalization of downtown Orinda. Say NO to a specific downtown plan.

(3) Downtown Orinda is a Priority Development Area (PDA).

According to ABAG/MTC, to be identified as a PDA, an area must be: 1) within an existing community; 2) within walking distance of frequent transit service; 3) designated for more housing in a locally adopted plan or identified by a local government for future planning and potential growth; and 4) nominated through a resolution adopted by a City Council or County Board of Supervisors. What is described here is regional planning, not local planning. PDAs will accommodate 2/3 of the growth for Plan Bay Area.

We’ve researched other Bay Area cities that are or have developed their PDAs and while it is obvious that there is public funding available to accomplish PDA development, it is not without compromise.

(4) Orinda Citizen Vote for an Updated General Plan

As PDAs throughout the Bay Area are being developed as if on steroids, city councils are yielding to the pressures of regional planning without regard for local planning. For Example, Oakland’s Tower at McArthur Village (McArthur BART) is 170 feet higher than allowed by their local zoning restrictions at 24 stories – but approved by the Oakland City Council. In Orinda’s case, we already have, to our detriment, one proponent of regional planning on our City Council, Amy Worth, Orinda Vice Mayor and recent Chair of MTC. If Orinda is to keep local control, we propose that the citizens vote on any updated OGP thereby allowing the citizens of Orinda a vote to keep local control.

Upcoming: Orinda Watch has been invited to submit a survey to Urban Land Institute by March 12th. We will discuss this survey and responses at our upcoming meeting Monday, February 28th. Join us for this discussion and other topics of interest.

***

January 22, 2017

Orinda Downtown Evaluation, a Strategic Priority Orinda in 2017

Dear Fellow Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

Subsequent to the September 6, 2016 Orinda City Council (OCC) Meeting, Downtown planning again became a central issue to Orindans. The OCC voted to engage both non-profits - Main Street America and Urban Land Institute (ULI) under contract to evaluate our Downtown. Main Street America is scheduling separate interviews with Orinda community groups on February 7th and 8th. Orinda Watch has been contacted for inclusion in the interview.

We want to address several issues in this newsletter: (1) concerns that Orindans surfaced for consideration at the September 6th OCC meeting that have not been addressed, (2) present and briefly review the approved Specific Plan for the Town of Moraga, and (3) learn, educate ourselves, and stay engaged in the upcoming planning meetings and consider what improvements you envision for our Downtown.

(1) Items surfaced by Orindans at the September 6th OCC Meeting.

Orinda Resident Engagement. Develop a process for all Orindans to be heard; not just special interest groups.

General Plan Changes. The General Plan belongs to all of us and any change should be decided by direct citizen vote. Creation of a specific downtown plan can conflict with elements in a General Plan but has been used by other cities to avoid changes to the General Plan. We feel that this should be avoided.

Traffic. Orinda traffic has grown to such proportions that it has affected the quality of life for many in Orinda. Any Downtown evaluation should consider present and additional vehicular traffic.

(2) Approved Development in Moraga. We heard many citizens at the September 6th OCC meeting who want more restaurants in Downtown but not many Orindans or Moraga residents are familiar with the growth being developed in the Town of Moraga that may directly affect where we shop, eat, and travel.

The below link for the Town of Moraga’s Specific Plan describes a potential 630 new dwellings of which 388 are approved and in the process of being built, according to the Town of Moraga website. One interesting thing to note in this Specific Plan is that the Plan downplays the affect of road traffic. Maybe all new residents will be staying in Moraga or taking the bus from Moraga to Orinda BART but obviously not traveling down Moraga Road, the closest main artery to the freeway. Review this Specific Plan and decide for yourself what affect this will have on you and your family.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B51sAwj8P3eaLWhBdTBjWlZqMzQ/view

(3) Educate, Learn, and Stay Engaged. Why the explosion in Bay Area development? Why can’t we rely on market-driven infrastructure development as we have for over 200 years by those who own the private property? Some readers of this newsletter are familiar with UN Agenda 21. Some of you are in total denial of Agenda 21. Well, it exists and you may wonder why all this talk about ‘sustainable development’. We have attached a short read on typical phrases and what they mean in the context of Agenda 21 and a brief history. You will be surprised that some of these phrases mean the opposite of what you assumed they mean. With more knowledge, we can watch both Main Street America and ULI Downtown evaluations viewed through a refreshed set of eyes.

http://nwri.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/How-Public-Officials-can-Recognize-Agenda-21.pd

Come join us at our monthly meeting, Monday, January 23rd, to discuss these issues and help plan our goals for 2017.

Benefits for Some Bring Burdens for Others

November 26, 2016

Dear Friends and Orindans,

The voters have spoken. We have newly elected members on the Orinda City Council (OCC). Darlene Gee and Inga Miller were elected to the OCC. The downtown revitalization issue dominated our local election. We have a majority of OCC members who will likely vote to accept zoning flexibility and general plan changes in exchange for downtown revitalization which could affect other future development in Orinda.

On November 15, 2016, the OCC decided to award two contracts to two third-party consultants, National Main Street Center (NMSC) and Urban Land Institute (ULI), who will suggest ways to improve our City. Eve Phillips voted against the ULI contract. Darlene Gee recused herself from the discussion due to a conflict of interest issue between her employer HNTB and ULI.

It is the Orinda citizens and the private property owners that have determined what they will offer and support in their downtown to date. Economic vitality is not a goal unto itself and cannot be mandated. You can ask the citizen to pick from several choices of what business they would like to see in their downtown but the citizen will ultimately decide what they will or will not support.

Are we willing to accept less parking, more traffic, changing the general plan and potential loss of local control, loss of village character of our downtown in exchange for newer retail, new office space, and more housing units for more residents, for the purpose of improving economic vitality downtown, economic vitality for a few developers, or whatever the latest reason is – we’ll see.

Come join us for a lively discussion and share ideas on this and other matters at Monday’s meeting, November 28 at Orinda Community Center, Room 8 from 6:00 to 8:00pm.

VOTING - WHY IT MATTERS TO ORINDA

October 23, 2016

Dear fellow Orindans,

We are excited to welcome Save Orinda members to a combined Save Orinda and Orinda Watch meeting being held on Monday, October 24 at the Orinda Community Center from 6-8 PM, Room 8.

Elections, Tomorrow 10/24 is the Last Day to Register to Vote
Some of us are still campaigning for candidates for Orinda City Council. By the looks of the number of brochures remaining, we think we have handed out over 4,000 brochures door-to-door during this campaign. This election is pivotal in restoring our City Council to rule 'for the people'. Make sure you register and VOTE.

If you attended the Candidate Forum on October 6th, the choice was clear between the candidates:
• Bruce London and Linda Delehunt want to hear your ideas and will lead the residents in downtown update discussions
• Darlene Gee and Inga Miller want a consultant firm (ULI) to lead a downtown development plan for Orinda with no resident input that caters to a minority of residents who want Orinda to look like every other city that lacks character

Darlene Gee – was anointed a seat on the OCC by majority vote by the Council; not elected by the residents.
K. Jenkins, an Orinda resident, was concerned about Ms. Darlene Gee over a conflict of interest issue between Ms. Gee’s employer HNTB and ULI and emailed the Orinda City Council and the city attorney recently, the following:

"City Council Members and City Attorney,
Darlene Gee, V. P. of HNTB (an architecture, civil engineering consulting and construction management firm), stood out as a champion in the decision of Orinda downtown development work to award an Orinda city agreement to ULI. Various employees of HNTB participate on ULI Technical Assistance Panels (TAP) in the HNTB West Region (headed by Art Hadnett, HNTB West Division president presiding over Ms. Gee’s region). HNTB has many signature infrastructure projects in the West Division, serves 30 clients in nine states, including projects such as San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium. HNTB is a Bronze Sponsor of ULI. HNTB obtains business opportunities through the ULI relationship.

Due to the financial interest that Ms. Gee has in HNTB and their relationship with ULI, this is a conflict of interest. Ms. Gee should not be using her position on the city council to participate in this decision processes."

Inga Miller – a real estate attorney, is someone no one has heard of. She applied for the OCC when the downtown development residents cast a wide net for anyone who would support ‘zoning leniency’ upon discovery that Victoria Smith was not defending her seat. She has attended zero OCC meetings and is backed by Orinda Vision and What’s Up Downtown Orinda.

Whose Real Property Is It?
The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property. (Quote by - Karl Marx)

We heard comments at the September 6th OCC meeting from residents who claimed that the downtown property owners were ‘holding Orinda hostage’ due to the condition of their property.

• Question: How do we balance individual rights with the rights of the community?
• Answer: The community has no rights under the US Constitution and is not protected under the US Constitution as the individual is.

We hope to see you at Monday’s meeting, during which we’ll meet some local candidates, discuss the downtown development topic along with other matters.

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

***

...and then there was Urban Land Institute

October 17, 2016

Dear Fellow Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

We would like to draw your attention to the upcoming Orinda City Council (OCC) Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 18, 2016. Refer to the following link for review of the meeting agenda information; Agenda Item I-1:

https://cityoforinda.app.box.com/v/citycouncilmeetings/1/625418333

We recommend you attend the meetings. If you cannot attend, there is streaming video on Orinda City Council (OCC) meetings here:

http://cityoforinda.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BBF732F95-6D97-49B2-9201-752BC231FD77%7D

There are a couple of areas of development to observe during upcoming discussions on the continuation of the downtown planning process.

Downtown Planning Process - Citizen Input
What we observed at the September 6, 2016 meeting is that the 2012 survey consisting of 4700+ citizen comments from the 988 citizens of Orinda about what they would like to have in their city and what they think could improve the city was permanently shelved. The existing members of the OCC implemented no action by our OCC as a consequence of this survey at that time (Amy Worth, Dean Orr, and Victoria Smith) and we assume no action will be taken in the future either.

Continuation of the Downtown Planning Process - No Citizen Input
At the end of the September 6th meeting, Councilmember Darlene Gee, rallied around the prospect of hiring land use consultants Urban Land Institute (ULI) for 1.5 to 2 days to advise Orinda how to plan our downtown.

Urban Land Institute is a mega non-profit global firm specializing in sustainable URBAN development for cities on a national and international scale and in lockstep with Plan Bay Area on a regional scale and all about Transit Oriented Development (TOD) mixed-use development surrounding metro transit centers such as BART and bus transit to create walking/biking cities thus reducing our reliance on cars.

Did you notice that none of the questions asked by the OCC or Trowbridge of ULI contain the words ‘semi-rural’ or ’35 foot height limit’? ULI doesn’t do semi-rural development. ULI specializes in URBAN development. Should the OCC hire ULI, don’t be surprised with what ULI suggests. ULI will answer the questions as posed but judging by the way the questions have been phrased in the meeting agenda, we can guarantee that any ULI response to the OCC will require zoning changes in our downtown.

The outcome of the 2016 election for Orinda City Council is in our hands. If we want to keep Orinda a place to come home to, not a place to escape from and if you care to retain the semi-rural environment of our city, we recommend - VOTE for BRUCE LONDON and LINDA DELEHUNT who will defend it.

Along Came a Virus

May 31, 2020

Dear Fellow Orindans,

Orinda Watch is a volunteer coalition of citizens whose purpose is keeping the people of Orinda, California informed on local affairs while fighting for local control of planning and governance.

While distracted with your family’s health and education needs during the pandemic, State housing density legislation is being rammed through with scarce notice and little input from the public.

We’re presenting a housing density package of five bills below we’d like your action on. There are many housing bills but imperative that we focus on these:

Your friends and neighbors at Orinda Watch

Contributed by: Kathleen Jenkins, Orinda Watch