So many meetings, so little time

by V Smoothe | February 19, 2009 | 0 comments

So one of the main objections people raise to more frequent Council meetings, or say, moving Council Committee meetings to the evenings throughout the week in order to facilitate attendance by members of the public is that more nighttime meetings would create scheduling conflicts with all the other community meetings the Councilmembers and the public want to attend. I think the Council should meet more often, but the concern is certainly one I’m sympathetic to. After all, there are already so many interesting meetings going, often at the same time, that it’s impossible to get to them all. Just take a look at what engaged citizens have to choose between tonight.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: 5:30 to 7:30, City Hall Hearing Room 4.

Tonight (PDF), the Committee will be briefed on the bike/ped related recommendations from the Oil Independent Task Force, discuss the three projects being submitted for FY 09-10 Transportation Development Act Article 3 funding (27th Street/Bay Place bikeway, Citywide Curb Ramps, and walkway rehabilitation of the Margarido Stairs and Eucalyptus Path), and get an overview of the City’s bike/ped improvement 2009 work plan.
Planning Commission Special Projects Committee: 5:30, City Hall Hearing Room 1.

The Committee will discuss the City’s proposed green building requirements (PDF). Raymond at Oakland Space Academy has an excellent post up today outlining his concerns with the current proposal.
Progressive Economic Roundtable: 7:00 to 9:00, Council Chambers, City Hall.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, Oakland City Council President Jane Brunner, and Assemblymember Sandre Swanson host a discussion of “a progressive perspective on the economic crisis.” The roundtable will also feature a professor from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, a representative of PolicyLink, and a speaker from ACORN/Alameda Labor Council (that’s how it’s billed – I didn’t realize those organizations were the same, but wev). This is one I’m not sad at all about missing – the roundtable is only notable in that nobody who has anything to do with the actual economy will be at the table. What politicians and unions think about our “key economic issues” and “creating a more equitable and sustainable economy” in the future sounds totally unenlightening to me.
Lake Merritt BART Station Area Plan meeting: 6:00 to 9:00, Asian Cultural Center Main Auditorium, 368 Ninth Street, Suite 290, Oakland.

Kind of self-descriptive. A community meeting on improving the area around the Lake Merritt BART station. There will be other opportunities to be involved in the Station Area Plan later on, but attending this one will help you understand the process and get in early.
MGO Democratic Club: 7:30 to 9:00, Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland.

The club will vote on whether to change their name, which isn’t terribly riveting, but the meeting will also feature guest speaker Michael Roosevelt of the Oakland Think Tank. To find out more about the MGO Democratic Club, you can read their most recent newsletter (PDF) here.

Comments are closed.

len raphael: Unconfirmed that MJQ laid off 100 employees today, blaming RDA court case. How much did she and the CC waste in legal fees betting against Jerry’s lawyers?

ralph: No, Livegreen, Occupy Oakland is doing plenty good. They are the poster children for the new, “This is Your Brain on Dope” Campaign.

Livegreen: They seem to b determined to shut down Oakland and little else. They’ve forgotten Wall St. I can’t help but think the Officers who were preventing them from breaking in to City Hall could have spent...

gregory mcconnell: The Occupest disrupted City Hall today. They managed to make it difficult, but not impossible, to go into City Hall. They demanded that people who accosted cops on Wednesday should be released. I was out...

livegreen: I watched the M-Y mtg last night, & it was painful. Jose is a nice guy, but he has difficulty running a meeting that gets anything done. They debated for about 1 hour whether they should discuss recommendations...

len raphael: The murder of 5 year old Gabriel Martinez. Got a call from an acquaintance who lives in East O and often gets supper at his family’s taco stand. She asked where she can sign up to help on the recall.

Ravi: I’m sure that all of those Quan diehards (“a recall would be a waste of time and too expensive”) are very gratified that this lovely and deserving woman is having such a good time. No doubt they prefer...

len raphael: JQ “”I’m actually having a lot of fun,” she said after rehashing many of the lower moments from her first year in office.” “http://www.insidebayare a.com/news/ci_19651889R...

Ravi: And regarding police reform and the crime thing, Judge Henderson could decide to put OPD under Federal jurisdiction because the terms of the NSA haven’t been fulfilled by the City Administration. Those folks in City...

len raphael: Harbinger of things to come to the City Council when they eventually have to make similar decisions. But they won’t. The Fed bankruptcy judge will do it for them.

livegreen: Yeah, but OUSD has to do something. There are way too many schools for the school population. There’s simply no choice. At least they’re willing to make the tough decisions. Unlike the City of...

len raphael: Are those school board recalls entirely over the school closing decisions? Different groups or one umbrella?

Ravi: Two recall petitions for Quan; five recall petitions for five school board members.

len raphael: City says there are now 7 concurrent recall petitions. Not clear how many are for Quan and how many for Council Members. Direct democracy at work.

Ravi: Can the Oakland City Council lead? Nope, nor can the Mayor. It’s up to the citizens, who are deeply divided and have been for a very long time.

len raphael: Oakland Local is the only on or offline general circulation media that shows understanding of the depths of our fiscal situation and understands that it’s causes precede the real estate crash. One of these...

Mkilian: Related to the Cal Supremes haircut to Oakland with respect to RDA and the immediate need for a “fiscal operations plan” is another issue put forth in Oakland’s internet newspaper, Oakland Local, is...