Today the KQED Radio Perspectives program ran my perspective on “The San Jose Process.” The Perspective is a two-minute commentary piece, and in this piece I discuss the significant problem of San Jose giving control to developers over initial aspects of environmental review. The Perspectives are from individuals, not organizations, but I enthusiastically agree with...
CEQA
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CGF News Release: The “San Jose Process” Resulted in Coyote Valley Debacle, Environmentalists Say
(The following is from a press release CGF sent out yesterday. -Brian) Committee for Green Foothills NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2007 PRESS CONTACTS: Brian Schmidt, Legislative Advocate phone (650) 968-7243 * [email protected] The “San Jose Process” Resulted in CoyoteValley Debacle, Environmentalists Say SAN JOSE DIFFERS FROM MOST CITIES IN ALLOWING DEVELOPER-SELECTED AND...
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CGF letter and request – San Jose should wait on the Coyote Valley EIR revision
(Following up on the good news about the Coyote Valley EIR revision, CGF submitted the following request to the San Jose City Council. -Brian) Given that City Planning staff has said the Draft EIR must be revised due to the significant criticism it received, I want to suggest that the decision on whether to start...
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Developers behind Coyote Valley planning process refusing to cooperate with the planning process
(The Committee for Green Foothills submitted the following letter to the Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force regarding developers’ refusal to let the City’s experts evaluate the environmental consequences of developing their land. We have received no response from the City, although one smaller landowner said the information was wrong and that he did allow...
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Coyote Valley wildlife in the spotlight
The Committee for Green Foothills co-sponsored a highly valuable environmental forum over the weekend, Wildlife of Coyote Valley. I would roughly estimate 100 people attended and listened to three highly knowledgeable experts, Dr. Grey Hayes, from the Elkhorn Slough Foundation; Tanya Diamond, a wildlife biologist at San Jose State University; and Stuart Weiss, Conservation Biologist...
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What you can say in three minutes about impervious surfaces
I had three minutes yesterday to talk at a mini-workshop for the Santa Clara Valley Water District about how local governments in Santa Clara County (and probably, statewide) are violating the California Environmental Quality Act regarding impervious surfaces – paving over our watersheds. As a little blogging experiment, I’m seeing if I can attach a...