Oakland Rezoning Planned According to STAND Email

I just got this email from STAND on the Adams Point Messge Board:

Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 9:10:52 AM

Subject: RE-ZONING OAKLAND

A New Look for Oakland?

Did you know that the City is working on plans to change the zoning for all of Oakland? (This will govern how the new buildings look and how they impact the surrounding community.) It may seem odd at a time when almost all development has halted. However, as everyone knows, this area will recover. And, when it does, what the City decides now will be what we live with then.

STAND has representatives on both the Commercial and Residential zoning task groups and is attending all meetings. We are hoping that the outcome of these meetings will be to encourage moderately scaled projects that preserve our light, air and views, while bringing us sustainable growth. We want to be proud of, and enjoy, the projects these new rules give birth to. Ideally, we want to preserve or enhance what is best about Oakland now.

We are wary, however, because the last few years have brought the super sized / fast profits / bubble growth syndrome that has blighted our neighborhoods; stretched our public services; and congested our streets with dense parking and traffic. 

So, the question is: are the rezoning meetings considering the benefits of planning for reasonable parking, height limits, bulk & mass limits, setbacks, and open space areas? Are they looking at the mistakes of the past -- such as building dense condos with tiny studio units that don't sell -- and being more responsible to those who will live with the result for many years? 

Our observations so far suggest that more Oakland residents need to get involved. For example, it appears that parking needs are not being addressed in the new zoning proposals. Does "Going Green" mean that the surrounding community is flooded by residents of new buildings without parking. No studies have been done to show that the population is ready to give up their cars. Is the transportation system good enough to support the goal of car free living? It is irresponsible not to address parking issues. 

We hope the old tendency to ignore the community has become the way of the past. We look forward to the rezoning effort yielding a road map for the enjoyable and sustainable city where we feel proud to live and work.

This Spring is the time to get involved and make sure these zoning changes are done right. Watch for STAND updates telling you when and where the zoning meetings will be taking place. In the interim, you may find the link shown below to be informative. It gives a great deal of information about the re-zoning process. 

http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/ceda/revised/planningzoning/ZoningUpdateProject/default.asp

If you chose to email your representatives about your concerns, STAND would appreciate it if you would cc STAND at standnorthoakland@gmail.com 

Increasing The Oakland Hotel Tax Is Rather Silly - Who's Staying In Them?

I just saw this:

Subject: City's Hotel Tax (Transient Occupancy Tax) - Ballot Measure
From: Councilmember Jean Quan
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Submitting, On The Council's Own Motion, To
The Electors At A June 2, 2009 Special Election, A Proposed Ordinance Amending The
Oakland Municipal Code In Order To Provide For A Two Percent Surcharge To The
City's Transient Occupancy Tax (Hotel Tax) To Support The Oakland Zoo, The Oakland
Museum of California, Chabot Space And Science Center And The Cultural Arts
Programs And Festivals..

And had to react.  Who's idea was it to have an increase in the Hotel Tax in the middle of a recession in a town not known for tourism?  I'd bet the revenue projection was a rosy scenario that will never soon come to pass.

Now the City folks might say "Oakland has the highest hotel use rates in the State" but that comes from data that's almost three years old.  This is a new world.  Why charge a higher tax that will be passed on to the consumers and make the hotel rooms less attractive?  

Read: not a good idea. 

The tax is already at 11 percent -- why not go the reverse direction and lower the rate by 4 percent, causing a reduction in room rates to remain competitive?  Counter-intutive, but hey it's a recession of deep measure.  I'll bet my plan will generate more revenue than the one before the City Council -- that's a failure to be sure.  

If they want to get the CVB more money, why not take part of that $7 million from the Redevelopment Agency I mentioned and use that?  Now, before you fire off with the "that can't be used for services" actually via a provision in California Redevelopment Law it can. 

It's Section 33678:

(a) This section implements and fulfills the intent of this
article and of Article XIIIB and Section 16 of Article XVI of the
California Constitution.  The allocation and payment to an agency of
the portion of taxes specified in subdivision (b) of Section 33670
for the purpose of paying principal of, or interest on, loans,
advances, or indebtedness incurred for redevelopment activity, as
defined in subdivision (b) of this section, shall not be deemed the
receipt by an agency of proceeds of taxes levied by or on behalf of
the agency within the meaning or for the purposes of Article XIIIB of
the California Constitution, nor shall such portion of taxes be
deemed receipt of proceeds of taxes by, or an appropriation subject
to limitation of, any other public body within the meaning or for
purposes of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution or any
statutory provision enacted in implementation of Article XIIIB.  The
allocation and payment to an agency of this portion of taxes shall
not be deemed the appropriation by a redevelopment agency of proceeds
of taxes levied by or on behalf of a redevelopment agency within the
meaning or for purposes of Article XIIIB of the California
Constitution.
   (b) As used in this section, "redevelopment activity" means either
of the following:
   (1) Redevelopment meeting all of the following criteria:
   (A) Is redevelopment as prescribed in Sections 33020 and 33021.
   (B) Primarily benefits the project area.
   (C) None of the funds are used for the purpose of paying for
employee or contractual services of any local governmental agency
unless these services are directly related to the purpose of Sections
33020 and 33021 and the powers established in this part.
   (2) Payments authorized by Section 33607.5.
   (c) Should any law hereafter enacted, without a vote of the
electorate, confer taxing power upon an agency, the exercise of that
power by the agency in any fiscal year shall be deemed a transfer of
financial responsibility from the community to the agency for that
fiscal year within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 3 of
Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.

Note the BOLD. In other words have the Convention and Visitor Bureau's activity written into the 

Redevelopment Plan for Downtown and the Colisem Redevelopment Area.  That would do the trick

Uh.  Now I know why I go to make a video yelling about Rush Limbaugh.  That's fresh meat! 

Who Says The Oakland Redevelopment Agency Is Broke?

With actions like this $7 million purchase proposal that was on the Council agenda Tuesday night, the Oakland Redevelopment Agency clearly has some fiscal life in it:

The February 26, 2009 Finance and Management Committee approved
recommendations; 4 Ayes
S-10.13-C
C
Subject: Real Property Purchase - 905 66th Avenue
From: Community and Economic Development Agency
Recommendation: Adopt An Agency Resolution Authorizing The Purchase Of Real
Property At 905 66th Avenue, From The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District For
$7,747,102 Less the Cost Of Any Environmental Site Remediation And Authorizing Up
To $12,000 For Real Estate Closing Costs, $60,000 For Property Inspection Costs And
$1,000,000 For Demolition Costs

Mayor Ron Dellums to Meet With A's Lew Wolff After Spring Training

I have it from several sources that Mayor Ron Dellums plans to meet with A's Owner Lew Wolff after Baseball Spring Training.  That's an expansion on the other story that the City was making moves to contact the A's and present a plan.  

What's good about this bit of news is the Mayor and not the Vice Mayor's doing the apparent heavy lifting. Nothing against Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, but it's time Oakland sent a clear leadership message to sports business owners, and that means the Mayor.  Period.   

It also means we fall in and help him, and that organizations like the Chamber of Commerce avoid this knee-jerk tendency to form their own task force and try to get what they want, which is the ego-satisfaction of being involved at a major level.   What the Chamber has done is made it's own group in the past which has always made politics more complicated.

Please, not this time.  That's Joe Haraburda's set of orders I write: stay home and work with the Mayor's Task Force; don't avoid it.   We will be seeking your advice and input as it's only the right thing to do, but we're all on a timetable -- the A's timetable -- and we've got to work together.  


Ah.  This is what a sports commission's good for. 

Rush Limbaugh Is Wrecking The GOP And I LOVE IT!

http://www.zennie62.com -- Rush Limbaugh's idiological rants are out of touch with an economic reality that will keep The Democrats in power for at least the next 10 years. The reason is the economy itself and the need for government investment.

Between 1960 and 1999 the U.S. Economy added 20 million new jobs every 10 years, but from 1999 to today, only about 4.7 million new jobs. What happened to the 15 million jobs? They went overseas to countries like India, France, and north to Canada. And with jobs goes wealth. It's a key reason America's now the 3 largest exporter whereas we were number one for years, until 2004. We're now behind Germany and China.

All of that wealth lost has resulted in wrecked credit over time. We have to have jobs to afford our mortgages and our population did not stop growing through this period. But what happened was that we started to lose jobs from the remaining stock of them. Remember, we have millions of people that aren't even being counted in our economy -- they don't exist for employment purposes. The "Joe The Plumbers" of today are the steel workers of yesterday. With a thriving growing manufaturing industry, we were able to employ Americans and jobs were plentiful. Not today.

With this weak World Credit system we need government spending to replace the private investment spending that's gone. Indeed, with fewer businesses there's less private investment spending -- goverment must catalyze the growth of business.

All of this calls for an activist government and that's something -- that need -- will keep The Democrats in power for years to come.