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Newsletter - Fall 2011
 | Napa-Solano Labor Council
Labor Day Breakfast with Supervisor Seifert and Mayor Patterson |
For the months of November and December, I'm holding "office hours" at the Farmer's Market on the third Saturday (instead of the fourth) from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm due to the holidays. Please stop by and visit. Ask questions and give feedback. The City has several vacancies on its boards and commissions and it has a new weekly newsletter! For more information, please check out the "Grab Bag" section of this newsletter.
Thank you for all that you do for Vallejo!
Marti
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Policy and Planning Activities
She who fails to plan, plans to fail. ~ Proverb As part of the Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Resolution the Council passed earlier this year, I've begun chipping away at the following two initiatives outlined in the resolution: Urban Farm Ordinance With the
support of Public Health Law and Policy, I'm working on an Urban Farm Ordinance that would address the use of both public and private land for community gardening, as well as the potential on- and off-site sale of produce. I plan to have a draft ordinance to vet with the public in the spring and then hopefully bring it to Council by summer 2012. "Sweet Beverage Tax"
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16 packs of sugar in one 20 oz. can of soda (click on image and check out New York City's Public Health Department Video) |
With increasing obesity rates among children under twelve and the incredibly high concentration of sugar in soda and other sweet beverages more and more cities are taking a second look at establishing a "Sweet Beverage Tax."
The City of Vallejo's obesity rate hovers at approximately 32% for children 12 years of age and under. According to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, a "Sweet Beverage Tax" generates approximately $40 per person per year. That would be approximately $4.6 million in the City of Vallejo.
Working with the public, Vallejo Unified School District and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, we can identify how the potential revenue would be spent to benefit and improve the health of our youth in Vallejo. Hopefully, with Council support, we can place this initiative on the 2013 ballot. General Plan Update The City of Vallejo did not receive the Strategic Growth Council grant this past year that would have greatly improved its chances of updating the General Plan, but plans to re-apply for the grant this coming year are already underway. Hopefully, we'll do better next time.  | |
The new cover of a future updated General Plan?
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In the mean time, the City has hired the Center for Sustainable Communities to conduct an assessment of the City's General Plan and Zoning Ordinance in an effort to find and evaluate inconsistencies, determine the "low hanging fruit" that we can fix in these documents right now and make recommendations for revisions as funds become available. This assessment and any revisions will improve interpretations of land use designations and the zoning ordinance. It's not a General Plan Update, but it's a good interim step in the right direction that the city can use to build upon for a future comprehensive General Plan Update.
"Yes" on Measure C - Medical Marijuana Tax
It's no secret that I have been a vocal proponent of the Medical Marijuana tax, as well as a highly regulated dispensary zoning ordinance. I hope you'll support the city's proposed special tax on medical marijuana as we define the zoning ordinance and reduce the current number of dispensaries in the City of Vallejo. For more information, please read the editorial in the Vallejo Times Herald or at the Vallejo Independent Bulletin.
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League of California Cities Conference
At the League of California Cities conference in September, I had the chance to catch up with councilmembers from four other cities that are also interested in placing a "Sweet Beverage Tax" on local ballots in Sacramento, San Pablo, San Leandro and Arcata. I also attended several economic development related conference sessions. Of particular interest were a couple of sessions on the new retail landscape and the use of social media to promote economic development.
Retail Recruitment in Economically Depressed Areas
Speakers encouraged cities to think about vacant and available space as "active" versus "inactive" space--not in
terms of services and retail types of uses. Retail is cyclical and requires a "permanent sales pitch." In areas with high vacancies and blight, emphasis should be focused on attracting small, independent business owners. Because  businesses don't want to pioneer commercial areas with high vacancies and blight, retail recruiters and brokers should focus on identifying appropriate retailers for a given location, conveying a unique message, establishing expectations and marketing the vision and plan. Today's retail focuses on "lifestyle shopping centers" and "ethnic niche markets." Economic development efforts should also focus on identifying public-private partnerships and shared opportunities for retail parking.
Successful economic development and new business attraction requires vision and strategy. As one of the conference speaker's noted: "junk attracts junk and quality attracts quality." It includes establishing a marketing network; streamlining the permitting process; and  identifying a tax and fee structure. It's all about consistency and perserverance! It requires asking the question: "Why are some businesses here and others not?" And how can businesses better support each other?
Branding a City's Economic Development Efforts
One of the sessions had a whole section dedicated to the branding of a city's economic development efforts including creating a separate economic development and tourism website that's linked to the city's website. The message is critical because blogs and search engines look for keywords that are hopefully embedded in these websites--a city blog is crucial and any positive "You Tube" videos about the city should be connected to a city blog. The city's message is most important. For example, City of San Marcos, California re-branded itself as an "Educational Hub" after the San Marcos State University was established in town.
While many of these efforts require money, many also do not. They simply require a focused message and efforts that take advantage of social media and other free or inexpensive media outlets.
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Lilies and Lemons
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Lilies and Lemons
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This recognition idea came from my friend and colleague, Libby Schaaf, Oakland City Councilwoman in District 4. She has a section in her newsletter called "Onions and Orchids" to honor those who commit "random acts of kindness" that benefit District 4, as well as random acts of "bad behavior."
I chose a lily because one of the meanings is majesty and it is derived from the Latin word, "greatness." I hope I don't have to tell you what a lemon means. Thank you, Libby, for this great idea!
Lilies (and greatness) to: Vallejo Together for Unity Day
It was a beautiful day of celebration and all the wonderful diversity Vallejo has to offer. Thank you Vallejo Together!
AHLC and Myrna Hayes
Architectural Heritage and Landmarks Commission and Myrna Hayes for saving part of Vallejo's history by unanimously rejecting new illegally installed headstones in the historic Mare Island Cemetery.
Lemons to:
Egg Heads The individual or individuals who egged Councilwoman and Mayoral candidate Joanne Schivley's home.
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. |
Quarterly Favorites
Articles/Research/Video
Websites
Your Local Budget - Involving Local People in Budgets
I haven't given up on the idea of bringing Participatory Budgeting (PB) to Vallejo. Given the city's current fiscal situation, however, it probably doesn't make sense in 2011/2012 time frame. But don't lose hope...Chicago is doing it again and so is New York. San Francisco even made it a campaign issue this year. PB is all the rage!
'The initiative is also catching on in smaller cities like Vallejo, where Marti Brown, a city council member, hopes to see the process take root around federally administered Community Development Block Grant funds, which would "let the public decide the price point at which we're willing to pay for the programs and services selected, whether it's public safety*, infrastructure projects or youth programs."
~ Shareable, August 10, 2011
* With a few exceptions, CDBG funds cannot usually be used for public safety. I believe the reporter confused this quote with another point I made.
...And if that's not enough, look at all the cool Participatory Budgeting stuff going on all over the world!
The Project for Pubic Space's "The Power of 10"
At the core of the Power of 10 is the idea that any great place itself needs to offer at least 10 things to do or 10 reasons to be there.
A New Way to Fund Creative Projects - Kickstarter.com
- Building more Community Gardens - like the eco village farm in San Francisco - Design and implement training for permaculture design certificate grads.
- Promoting and better connecting new Permaculture Guilds
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Next Issue
- Hiddenbrooke Park - Negotiations with the School District and Park Construction
- Final White Papers by Planning Interns
- Mare Island "Business Walk"
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There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.
~ Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer/songwriter, musician and poet All information, opinions, and content of this e-newsletter reflect the individual speech and personal opinion of Marti Brown and do not represent the position of the City of Vallejo. This e-newsletter is not endorsed, supported by or in any way affiliated with the City of Vallejo. |
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