County Updates

The December 3 BRAC meeting consisted of presentations on planning issues and related research as well as interactive sessions.  The presentations focused on topics that BRAC members had expressed interest in previously.  The topics included: air quality, water storage, preservation of agriculture and alternative energy sources.

The highlight of the interactive sessions was the determination of BRAC key messages.  BRAC members serve as advocates for the Blueprint process within their communities and the use of a clear consistent message by the BRAC will allow for stronger advocacy going forward with the process.  BRAC members decided on the following for their key messages:

“Given that current growth patterns are not sustainable, the Blueprint is essential to the region because :

1. Our greatest challenges are regional in scope.
2. We still have time to choose our future.
3. We’re going to make the Valley a world-class region.”

BRAC member Jeani Ferrari brainstorming ideas for key messages

For more information on the BRAC, including the summary and presentations from the December 3 meeting, visit www.valleyblueprint.org/brac.aspx.

At its December 18 meeting, the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) made the decision to move forward with the HSRA staff’s recommendation in support of the Pacheco Pass alignment between the Central Valley and the Bay Area. The HSRA Executive Director also discussed appointing a steering committee to explore whether the Altamont Pass alignment could be developed with a more mature commuter rail service resulting in a “hybrid” alignment.

At the meeting HSRA heard testimony that the recommendations for the Pacheco Pass alignment raised concerns that the entire Valley (from Bakersfield to Sacramento) would not be adequately served by high-speed rail. Specific concerns cited as part of the testimony include:

• the need to develop a substantive high-level technical plan for the proposed commuter Altamont route,
• the development of a plan to address the need for Sacramento connectivity to be addressed in Phase One,
• and the possibility that minimized impact in the Tri-Valley Area was overlooked when considering the Altamont alignment route.

Valley interests, which include the San Joaquin Valley COGs and the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, continue to work to engage the HSRA in order to address these concerns. Their hope is that the HSRA will continue dialogue with them in order to achieve an alignment solution that can be supported throughout the Valley.

To learn more about the HSRA and their staff recommendations visit, www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov.

Board approves Blueprint guiding document
In December 2007, the San Joaquin Council of Governments Board of Directors approved the local Blueprint Vision and Values Guiding Document (BGD).  The BGD is a result of a year long process involving public outreach, community workshops, citizen-input, and local committee development—and represents the collective community vision of over 1,000 San Joaquin County residents!  The BGD will serve as the basis for the second round of Blueprint Town Hall meetings.

Blueprint town hall meetings will begin taking place in February and continue through April of this year.  Residents will be asked for their input regarding various growth options for both their communities and the region.  The goal is for participants to choose a ‘preferred growth scenario’ that will be incorporated into the final Blueprint Guiding Document.

For more information please contact Anthony Zepeda at (209) 468-3913 or azepeda@sjcog.org.


San Joaquin County residents participate in Blueprint Townhall meeting

2,100 Kern County Citizens participate in Kern COG outreach
During 2007, more than 2,100 Kern County citizens participated in Kern COG’s community outreach projects.  In February 1,200 citizens participated in a statistically valid telephone survey designed to examine public attitudes and perceptions regarding quality of life issues within Kern County.  Beginning in March, Kern COG began town hall meetings for the Kern Regional Blueprint Project with more than 700 attending meetings throughout the county.

October 2007 marked the beginning of the Kern Regional Phase 2 town hall meetings.  Meetings have been held in Mojave, Tehachapi, Taft, Lamont, Arvin, Delano, Lake Isabella, Greenfield Family Resource Center, McFarland, Ridgecrest, Shafter, Wasco and Frazier Park, drawing 314 residents. 

Phase 2 was designed to educate participants about growth principles and growth scenarios.  The meetings allow participants to give their opinions and rank the importance of nine separate growth principles formulated using the visions and values identified by participants in the Phase 1 meetings. 

After ranking the importance of the growth principles, participants are asked to rank the importance of four, community specific, growth scenarios.  The growth scenarios include charts for each scenario showing the differences in the number of people per acre, energy use, CO2 emissions, water consumption, and infrastructure costs per housing unit.

Meetings are planned in Metropolitan Bakersfield in January 2008. For more information contact Robert Phipps at rphipps@kerncog.org.

Future scenarios become the focus
The work of the Blueprint continues to progress in Kings County.  Most recently the status quo or “business as usual” land use model for the year 2050 was completed as the result of local planner’s knowledge. 

The upcoming months will be very busy, as the second round of local public participation focusing on future scenarios will begin in January 2008.  Blueprint presentations will be made to many of the city councils, planning commissions, Board of Supervisors, and other respective governing boards.  A minimum of five community workshops are currently being scheduled so that residents have ample opportunities to provide their comments and input.  Preparations have also begun for the Kings County Summit to be scheduled in May. 

Residents will have the opportunity to vote on their preferred Kings County Vision for 2050 with the same clicker technology used in the first round of public participation.  Residents who are interested in getting involved are invited to contact Chris Lehn of the KCAG office at clehn@co.kings.ca.us.