AB 624 dropped in favor of major foundations agreement

Assembly Bill (AB) 624 was officially opposed by the Contra Costa Council Board of Directors at its meeting on June 20, at the recommendation of the Council's Nonprofit/Business Task Force. Then, on June 24, the legislation was dropped by Assemblyman Joe Coto (D-San Jose), when a coalition of 10 large California foundations joined with the chairs of the three ethnic legislative caucuses to announce "a path-breaking project designed to strengthen nonprofit organizations serving low-income and minority communities."

The Council saw the legislation as "intrusive" in its thrust. The bill would have required private, corporate and public operating foundations with assets over $250 million to collect race and gender-related data related to their governance structure and domestic grantmaking, and post this information on their website.
 
According to the June 24 statement, issued by Assemblyman Coto's office and the foundations, the foundations--including The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Ahmanson Foundation and The California Endowment--said they will work together over a multi-year period to make grants that provide capacity-building support and technical assistance targeted to minority-led and grassroots, community-based organizations that primarily serve minority and low-income communities in California. In addition, the foundations "intend to provide support for leadership development activities that will bolster and train a diverse pipeline of executives, staff and board members for the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors."

Upcoming briefings

New and prospective Council members are welcome to attend Task Force meetings. Please notify a Task Force chair prior to the meeting to confirm time and location.

Here is a list of upcoming briefings, as currently scheduled:

Land Use Task Force . . . Wed., July 9, 8 to 9 a.m. . . . Morrison & Foerster, 101 Ygnacio Valley Rd. (opposite Walnut Creek BART). Heard recently from Christy Riviere of ABAG about land use performance targets, connecting land use with transportation and climate goals. Next meeting is Wed., August 13. Contacts: Dan Muller and Mike McGill

Health Care Task Force . . . Thurs., July 10, 8:30 a.m. . . . Morgan Miller Blair, 1331 N. California Blvd., Suite 200, Walnut Creek. Discussion of the current public television series, Unnatural Causes, as a possible Council event; also updates on state budget reform, doctor's hospital, legislation and policy. Next meeting is Thurs., Sept. 4. Contacts: Ron Wetter and Frank Puglisi, Jr.

Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force . . . Fri., July 11, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. . . . Brown and Caldwell, 201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 300, Walnut Creek. Tom Hendrey discusses fuel cells as an alternate energy source. The Task Force is holding ongoing discussions about AB 32 and is in contact with Transportation and Land Use Task Forces on this issue. Next meeting is Fri., Aug. 1. Contacts: Peter McGaw and George Smith

Water Task Force  . . . Tues., July 15, 8:15 to 10 a.m. . . . Morrison & Foerster, 101 Ygnacio Valley Rd. (opposite Walnut Creek BART). Heard recently from Greg Gartrell of the Contra Costa Water District and others regarding the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Next meeting is Tues., Aug. 19, when EBMUD will present its Water Supply Management Program 2040. (See article this issue on the Task Force.) Contact: Bob Whitley

Workforce Development & Education Task Force . . . Thurs., July 17, 8:30 to 10 a.m. . . . JFK University, 100 Ellinwood, Conference Room S209, Pleasant Hill. Continuing discussion about the impact of the state budget crisis on public schools; recently recommended support of the Cal State University East Bay proposal to offer lower-division course work at the Concord campus. Next meeting is Thurs., Aug. 21. Contacts: April Treece and Keith Archuleta

Small Business & Entrepreneur Task Force . . . Tues., July 22, 7:30 a.m. . . . Mass Mutual Financial Group, 2121 N. California Blvd., Suite 395, Walnut Creek. Heard recently from Jay Lifson of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce; updated by David Kelly on AB 2716. Next meeting is Tues., Aug. 26. Contacts: Stuart Bolinger and Zachary Sahar

Economic Development Task Force . . . Wed., July 23, 8 to 9 a.m. . . . City National Bank, 2001 N. Main St., Suite 200, Walnut Creek. Received an update recently on the higher education study, a look at the economic impact of the five "resident" institutions of higher education in the county. Held successful presentation on May 29 of the Economic Indicator Report, the 2008 Performance Index: Major Drivers of Contra Costa County's Economy. Next meeting is Wed., Aug. 27. Contacts: Gary Craft and Mike Conlon

Nonprofit/Business Task Force . . . Thurs., July 24, 8 a.m. . . . Chapman University, 2950 Buskirk Ave., Suite 200, Walnut Creek. The Task Force is monitoring the state budget situation and considering advocacy strategies; recommended opposition to AB 624 (Coto) foundation diversity legislation. Next meeting is Thurs., Aug. 28. Contacts: Mike Erwin, Mark Hughes and Terry Shoaff

Transportation Task Force . . . Tues., August 5, 8 to 9:30 a.m. . . . PMI Building, 3003 Oak Road, Walnut Creek. Recent activities include the June 30 tour by Task Force and Council members of the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Project (see article, this issue); active support for the settlement agreement between Caltrans and the City of Oakland in connection with the Fourth Bore Caldecott Tunnel Project, approved at the June 17 Oakland City Council meeting; and assessment of MTC's Draft Investment Plan. Contacts: Hank Haugse and Terry Bowen

Council's Water Task Force plays role in critical public policy issue
 
Bob Whitley often invokes the phrase, "It's all about the fish!" when explaining water issues to Contra Costa Council Board members. He figures that if we can continue to keep the fish alive in the California Delta, then we may be making progress in the region's quest for an adequate quality water supply. "Water is definitely something I know about and I am learning more as I'm involved with the Council," he says.
 
Chair of the Contra Costa Council's Water Task Force, Whitley (pictured, above) was trained as a civil environmental engineer. His background is in utility infrastructure engineering, which involves the design, construction and management of wastewater and public water utility projects, throughout northern and central California. He established Whitley, Burchett & Associates in 1985 with his partner, Max Burchett, whom he met in grad school at UC Berkeley, to provide services principally to the public sector. Now "retired," Burchett remains involved in the business and also serves as a mentor to younger engineering associates.
 
Whitley traces back his initial involvement in the Council to about 1990, when he was managing a major infrastructure project in the county. The project drew a lot of public comment and controversy. When speaking to community groups about wastewater and sewage, Whitley found that few people really understood the facts, and many were blinded by their emotions about the topic.
 
One of his outreach efforts was to the Council's Water Task Force, then chaired by Pam Reed of Morrison Foerster (who later headed the Council). "I found the discussion with the Council Task Force to be thoughtful and factual," recalls Whitley. "It was a welcome environment to have a discussion about a public decision." After that experience, he decided to join the Council and become active on the Task Force.
 
Gathering information and advocating
 
Whitley cites two goals for the Water Task Force: (1) to gather information about what he terms "the very abstract topic of water and sewage and recycled water" and to disseminate it to the Council Board and its members; and (2) to become an advocate on specific water projects as well as major policy initiatives that affect water quality and supply. The latter involves supporting utilities in their efforts to improve water quality and reliability and increase the water supply for Contra Costa County users, such as the Los Vaqueros Reservoir project.
 
"Our role is to gain an understanding of what the public utilities are trying to achieve and also to become advocates to encourage utilities to think more broadly than they sometimes do--to expand policy discussions in both directions," he says. Because public infrastructure and utilities enterprises are by definition parochial, the Task Force seeks to encourage and influence a broader, regional perspective that removes these geographical and political limitations.
 
"Our society and economy is not dependent on these boundary lines that limit utilities' jurisdictions. What happens in Livermore affects what happens in Walnut Creek, and vice versa," observes Whitley. Contra Costa County has four different water utilities, each with its own policies and resources and staffing. "Why should Walnut Creek be split by two water utilities?" he asks, yet acknowledges the challenges faced by utility governing boards, which are made up of elected officials who are heavily influenced by local concerns. He says he is not being critical, but rather realistic, in his view of the situation and sees the Task Force's role to advocate for these agencies to think beyond their jurisdictions for the economic vitality of the region.
 
Delta Vision Statement
 
The Task Force's greatest accomplishment to date, in Whitley's view, is the effort last year to get a very diverse group of people within the Council to become engaged and participatory in the development of guiding principles concerning the California Delta--what became the Delta Vision Statement of Principles. "We were able to capture the whole breadth of the issues and refine them to understandable principles. Granted, it is still a journey, but the recognition of the effort we've gone through, and the coalitions that are being formed around this knowledge, has raised understanding, awareness and interest on the part of the Council."
 
And perhaps more important, he notes, has been a broad recognition by business groups and other government entities of the leadership that the Council is providing in this area. Whitley was recently invited to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of the House of Representatives "who were doing their homework on the Delta." "We felt listened to, and it's a reflection of the work the Council has been doing to be recognized in a larger arena."
 
Monthly meetings open
 
The Task Force meets once a month, offering a topic for discussion by Task Force members or invited guests. This is part of the information transfer, which, if it becomes a significant topic, the group will then discuss what its advocacy should be and communicate this by letter or as a discussion topic with the Council's Executive Committee. Several years ago, the Task Force developed a Policy Paper (available on the Task Force's Web page) as an advocacy guideline.
 
Members of the Task Force generally include representatives of public utilities, which see the value in the Council as implementing policy, and of business development businesses, who are trying to learn what's going on in the region and often become engaged in the open debate. "If the utilities expected a rubber stamp of their wishes in seeking Council support, that has not evolved; however, if what they are proposing makes good sense, we will be supportive," Whitley explains.
 
Challenges and creating a future
 
A major challenge to the Task Force and the county relates to Contra Costa's ongoing economic development activities, which involve increasing populations and increasing industrial capabilities--and a marked change in the demand for water and water supplies.

"We have exceeded our sustainable water supplies in the region, which means that ongoing activities, as they relate to water deliveries to customers, are going to change," says Whitley. "This is a paradigm shift of thinking. The challenge is to recognize that the change will take place, and for the Council to take a responsible advocacy role in influencing that change."
 
The history of the settlement of the west is all about the quest for a reliable water supply, he points out. "What's different for our generation going back 50 to 60 years, is that there's been comfort that large public works have secured the supply and made it readily available to the community, and people haven't had to think about it. . . . That is no longer true, and that's discomforting. Fish are dying, rationing is taking place. At the same time, we're more sensitized to the need for a quality environment, which has suffered."
 
Whitley says his involvement with the Council satisfies his intellectual curiosity. "I also recognize the importance of the protection of the environment and satisfying society's needs. To the extent I can help this community be progressive in its approach to these important issues, gives me a sense of personal satisfaction."

"All services provided to our citizens need to be well reasoned, whether it's water, wastewater or a service provided by PG&E. Most of them are, but sometimes in the delivery of the message, we need to dig out the reasoning behind a project. It's important to look at the facts, but we also need to ask: Why are you doing this? Why are you providing this service? That knowledge can lead to understanding and better decisions in the future."

© 2008 Contra Costa Council