In Defense of the Suburbs

• | Print |

Details

Category: Government

Created on 27 February 2013

If you like living in the tranquility of the suburbs you may feel like an anomaly.  If you listen to the media or the government, you may think that most people are clamoring to live in cities.

The NCA recommends you read an article called "In California, don’t bash the ‘burbs" by Joel Kotkin.  In this article, he examines the governmental forces that are motivating the construction of dense housing that few people actually want.  Here’s a quote:

During the past decade, when pro-density sentiment has supposedly building, some 80 percent of the new construction in the state was single-family, a rate slightly above the national average.  Over time, Californians continue to buy single-family houses, mostly in the suburban and exurban periphery.  They do it because they are like most Americans, roughly four of five of whom prefer single-family houses...

It turns out that one of the best defenses of the suburbs is that that these are the places that most people want to live.  Shouldn’t we organize our society to help fulfill the dreams that are shared by a majority of its citizens?

Restore Novato's Goal of Accountability and Transparency

• | Print |

Details

Category: Government

Created on 05 October 2012

Al Dugan and Trish Boorstein have asked the Council for the restoring of Goal #1 on the City of Novato's Strategic Plan.  The Strategic Plan is a two- or three-year plan where the staff and the council get together 2-4 times a year to check the city's progress and to update the plan.  These get-togethers are open to the public but they are held during the day and they are retreats run by a hired facilitator so very few of the public show up.  The Strategic Plan then drives a lot of the agenda-setting that occurs quarterly so the Strategic Plan exercises are really important.  Recently the Council reduced the goals from seven to four and "Achieve Accountable and Transparent Community-Based Planning" bit the dust.  Part of the reason 'Community-Based' dropped out could be the cost of debating the affordable housing sites for a solid year.

Read Al's own words in his Novato Patch Blog, "Accountablility and Transparency in Novato Government," posted on September 23, 2012.

Trish Boorstein says, "We want to reinstate 'Achieve Accountable and Transparent Community-Based Planning.'  It's the 'Community-Based Planning' we need to emphasize equally. Staff has already added 'Open Government and Transparency' as a result of the last workshop at the Police Station."

Novato Hires Economic Development Manager

• | Print |

Details

Category: Government

Created on 05 October 2012

A $122,000-a-year executive has been hired to boost economic development in Novato.

You can read more at the Marin Independent Journal.

On the Novato city website, you can read the press release and the job description.

Novato Hires New Communications Coordinator

• | Print |

Details

Category: Government

Created on 05 October 2012

The City of Novato, while using Measure F funds to fill deficits in the city budget, has hired a new communications coordinator, aka public relations and social media manager or publicist.  Her contract is for four years, presumably to run concurrently with Measure F.

Read more at the Novato Advance.