STEEL: Petty Dictators Abound in the Regional Governmental and Transportation Agencies of California

Citizens are determined to fight back against unreasonable ABAG goals.

Editors NOTE: The following is from an East Bay property rights advocate.   It is important to note that people from the entire political spectrum are fighting against ABAG housing quotas.
Ms. Steel is clearly from conservative side of politics.  In keeping with our goal of "creating conversation" about housing quotas in Marinwood-Lucas Valley, we are interested in publishing many points of view. Please submit  your articles or links to add to the conversation to: savemarinwood@gmail.com


Arrogance, Despotism, Tyranny
Petty Dictators Abound in the Regional Governmental and Transportation Agencies of California
(Part 2:  Useful Idiots of the Ruling Elites)

Mimi Steel, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views,10/06/11

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in their efforts to develop a 25 year soviet style top down plan called Plan Bay Area (www.onebayarea.org ) are aided and abetted by the “social equity” crowd.  Two of the key players in this effort are TransformCa (www.transformca.org ) and Urban Habitat (http://urbanhabitat.org/uh/newfront ).   Both organizations bring people in force to the MTC hearings to lobby for “social equity” and “transportation justice”.  Their demands are embedded in policy:

… the proposed alternative scenarios utilize the Priority Development Area (PDA)
framework  (which)…. has a strong emphasis on social equity ….(and) adopts a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) methodology …known as the “175 percent income redistribution”. .. The Complete Community framework, along with the affordable housing strategy of RHNA, is the primary method by which social equity is built into the land use scenarios.
Para2 Steve Heminger, Executive Director of MTC wrote a Proposed Alternatives Letter  to the One Bay Area Plan dated June 16, 2011   (http://apps.mtc.ca.gov/meeting_packet_documents/agenda_1687/ProposedAlternativeScenario_06.16.11_1.pdf ).

Their positions are represented on MTC Policy Advisory Council which includes three subgroups in the area of social equity.  There are nine members (one from each county) representing  communities of color and issues affecting low-income communities or environmental justice. Of these, four members represent communities of color and four members represent environmental justice/low-income issues; the ninth member is representative of either category. In addition, nine members (one from each county) represent issues related to transportation for seniors and persons with disabilities. Four members represent seniors and four members represent people with disabilities; the ninth member is representative of either category.  (www.mtc.ca.gov/get_involved/advisory/ )

For the visioning process, MTC partnered with 14 non-profit Community Based Organizations (CBO) through a competitive bid process to help engage low-income communities and communities of color in Plan Bay Area.  MTC sent special notices to all these groups.  No such invitation was issued to the taxpayers and, in fact, MTC was disconcerted when taxpayers showed up.

Back to our two lobbiest organizations for social equity.  TransformCA (www.transformca.org ), a recipient of $800,000 worth of grants from  the taxpayers of Alameda County, promotes transportation justice. They lobby to make significant new investments in communities that rely on public transit, allocate transportation investments to reduce income and racial disparities, and help low-income communities increase their power to influence transportation and land use decisions.

Urban Habitat( http://urbanhabitat.org/uh/newfront ) also lobbies for transportation justice.  Remember the wonderful people trying to close down BART last month?  You guessed it.  Here’s a brag from the Urban Habitat website:

Public transportation riders and supporters across the country will speak out on Sept. 20 to protest proposed federal spending cuts that would gut public transit and highway funding. In Oakland, members of ACCE, Genesis, Urban Habitat, the Transportation Justice Working Group and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 192 will gather at 14th and Broadway at 4:45 p.m. for a “Call to Action” as part of “Don’t X Out Public Transportation Day,” which is being organized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
(http://urbanhabitat.org/tj/all )

When not rioting in the streets, one of their leaders, Carl Anthony, is testifying in front of the MTC promoting the “social equity” solution.  Carl Anthony is a founder of Urban Habitat and received an award from the Ella Baker Center (an organization founded by the communist, Van Jones).  By the way, members of ACCES (the new name for ACORN in California) were also lobbying.

 

After watching the Kaboki Theater of “visioning” sessions and MTC-ABAG hearings, I stumbled upon a video that provided the 100,000 foot level called the Bay Area Sustainablity Vision: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA3oGhDXWHA The credits show ABAG, Urban Habitat, and Ella Baker Center.  Amazing, everyone is in on the game except you, the taxpayer, who is footing the bill and having your liberty stolen from you.  While you work hard to keep your financial head above the water, your money is being squandered by Elites and their Useful Idiots to enhance their own power at your literal expense.  If we do not stop this, our children will be living in economic slavery to these people