The Future of the Bay Area Housing CASA Committee-transparency and lack of middle class housing.

CASA is the most powerful government committees that you have never heard of. It is a group of developers, politicians and NGOs that want to set housing policy for the entire Bay Area region of Governments (101 cities and towns). They do not videotape their meetings. A private citizen, Ken Burkowski of Emeryville has been videotaping meetings for several years and posts them at www.regional-video.com .

Here is a clip of Zelda Bronstein addressing CASA for its lack of transparency.

Former ABAG economist Steven Levy complains about the lack of middle class housing.

I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that a "quiet coup" has seized our local government power in favor of an unelected regional body, developers and NGOs. We must stand up for our local communities

and democracy.

- Not only do they not videotape their meetings; as I noted, they don’t document their proceedings with minutes. There is an audiotape, but it’s not posted. You’ve have to ask MTC staff for a link. I think the meetings of the CASA Steering Committee are taped—check it out. But the Steering Committee doesn’t steer. And, if you watched Ken’s video of last Wedneday’s Technical Committee meeting, you know that the extent to which that entity is going to be allowed to provide advice is unclear. Zelda