Finding Your Voice By William Faus

Changemaker Training Saturday, December 10, 2011 Hosted by Greenbelt Alliance

William Faus
Happily married for 33 years
Involved with planning issues for 38 years
Attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Completed graduate studies at SJSU
This is my 3 rd year in retirement
I currently dedicate most my time to a number of non-profits, volunteer work, gardening, and cooking for my beautiful wife

How you can make a difference
Know & study your specific issue(s)
Carefully define the specific action(s) you want to happen
Communicate your concerns

Know & Study your issue(s)
Most projects have two distinct components in the approval process:
Environmental review (CEQA)
Project characteristics & scope

Environmental Review Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
In-depth analysis of potential impacts
Applied Mitigation Measures will lessen potential impacts
Do the recommended Mitigation Measures address the potential impacts
Are project alternatives [ found within an EIR ] sufficiently vetted

Project characteristics & scope
Development plans describe the proposal
Plans can be:
Drawings [ blue prints ]
Descriptive narrative

The final project
Will be a product of:
Approved development plans
Adopted Mitigation Measures
Conditions added on by:
Recommending body
Approval body

Define the action you want
GOOD:
Carefully define your issues & concerns
Communicate your issues & concerns
This sets up vulnerable ownership , as the outcome is strongly influenced by others

BETTER:
Outline potential solutions and/or options
This sets up shared ownership , where the outcome is influenced by suggested solutions

BEST:
Outline potential solutions and/or options
Support your recommendations with reasons and findings
This takes ownership , where the potential outcome is strongly influenced by you

Communicate your concerns
This is the easy part and can be transmitted in many forms to the recommending and/or approval bodies
Prior to project approval - express your concerns
During project approval - express your concerns

The more ways you communicate your message - the better
Verbal, person-to-person { by far the best way !}
Phone call
Text message
E-mail
Submit a detailed letter of concern
Fax
Letter(s) to the local newspaper editor
Express your concerns at the public hearing(s)

Communication – cont.
Get community groups to support your position …
Chamber of Commerce
Business associations
Home-owner’s association
Environmental groups
Neighborhood group

Be even more proactive …
Prior to the public hearings:
Speak to agency staff in charge of environmental review
Speak to agency staff in charge of the project review and/or staff report recommendation
Speak to individuals in charge of specific sections of the report:
Traffic Engineer
Fire safety
Etc. etc.

Your public Standing
For a Resident
Number of years as a local resident
Number of years as a property owner
Proximity to the project site
For a Business owner
Number of years as a local business owner
Number of local people your business employed
Annual tax dollars generated
Proximity to the project site

Who approved that?
There are typically five key groups involved in a project decision:
Policy Planners
City Planners
Project Design Planners
Environmental Planners
Special Interest Planners

Those involved:
Policy Planners
City Council, Board of Supervisors, etc.
Planning Commission
Specific area boards [ ABAG, MTC, SCVWD ]
LAFCO [ Local Agency Formation Commission ]
City Planners
Staff planners, management, directors

Those involved:
Project Design Planners
Architects, Engineers, Design Planners, etc.
Environmental Planners
CEQA consultants, specialists [ i.e. Traffic ]
Special Interest Planners
Environmental interests [ i.e. Sierra Club, Greenbelt ]
Business interests [ i.e. Chamber of Commerce ]

Finding Your Voice By William Faus

by gbeltalliance on Dec 12, 2011

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