Watch County Board Meetings on Your Phone

Sacramento County, in coordination with Sacramento Metro Cable 14 (the local government TV station that airs public meetings on Channel 14) has added a new LiveStream feature — public meetings. Now you can watch those government meetings on the go from your mobile device including those of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.

Providing greater access to the Board of Supervisors public meetings via mobile devices is part of an ongoing effort to engage citizens and demonstrate transparency of the public meeting process that is the vehicle to carry out County governance, operations and policy.

Over the last year, Sacramento County has also been working to make it easier and more efficient for residents to participate in local government decisions. Recently, the Public Comment link was made available to submit comments electronically on specific Board of Supervisors meeting agenda topics when reviewing the agenda online.

For those attending a Board of Supervisors meeting, members of the public can sign up electronically to speak via the kiosk stations located in the Board Chambers. Additionally, in April, an improved advanced search feature on public meeting agendas was implemented to make documents and information easier to find.

To view Board agendas, please visit the Sacramento County Clerk of the Board website, here: http://www.sccob.saccounty.net/Pages/BOSPublicMeetings.aspx

CEQA Workshop hosted by ECOS August 15

ECOS Presents a CEQA Workshop!

What is CEQA and How do you Conduct an Effective CEQA Review?

ECOS is hosting a training for ECOS members on understanding the CEQA process and how to comment effectively. Our focus is a practical look at CEQA and what ECOS committees do when they review a CEQA document. Our topics include:

CEQA process overview
Conducting an analysis of a Biological Section
Conducting an analysis of a Land Use Section
Conducting an analysis of an Air Quality/Transportation Section
Real examples of Mitigation Measures

Join us for an evening of discussion and learning about an important California public disclosure law.

Speakers include: Sean Wirth, Rob Burness, Melinda Dorin Bradbury and others.

When: August 15, 2016 6 – 8 pm

Where: Breathe CA Conference Room 909 12th Street, Sacramento – Breathe CA conference room is on first floor. People will need to ring the bell for Breathe CA at the door and identify themselves

Cost: Free to ECOS Members (become a member here)

RSVP: You have to RSVP because space is limited to 30. CEQA Workshop RSVP’s

DRAFT AGENDA

6:00 – 6:10 pm Introductions (Brandon Rose)

6:10 – 6:30 pm CEQA overview, What is CEQA (Melinda Dorin Bradbury)

6:30 – 6:50 pm Analysis of Biological Resources (Sean Wirth)

6:50 – 7:10 pm Analysis of Land Use (Rob Burness)

7:10 – 7:30 pm Analysis of Air Quality and Transportation (Earl Withycombe)

7:30 – 8:00 pm Going through real life examples Q&A (panel discussion)

The proposed 19J building

July 31, 2016

Ryan Lillis

The Sacramento Bee

The proposed 19J building, designed by HR Group Architects, would stand 11 stories at 19th and J streets in midtown Sacramento. It would include 173 apartments and is the second high-rise building proposed for that neighborhood in the last few months. Mohanna Development [is the developer of the project.]

This Wednesday, there will be a community meeting about the 19J building at 5:30 pm at Metro Electronic’s former site at 19th & J Street, Sacramento‬.

Next week, Nikki Mohanna will attend the Environmental Council of Sacramento’s August 8th, 2016 Land Use committee meeting at 6pm to provide more information about this project and answer questions. Location: Mogavero Architects, 2012 K Street, Sacramento. Feel free to join us. Read the meeting agenda here.

Environmentalist of the Year: Seeking Nominations!

We are now accepting nominations for the Environmentalist of the Year Awards 2016, happening November 16, 2016. Please send the name of your nominee, a short biography about the person or group, and the reasons why you believe they deserve the award to office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net.

Click here to view a complete list of past awardees

Thank you for your suggestions!

Upcoming Sponsorship Opportunities with ECOS

The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) requests your support for our two annual fall events: the Environmentalist of the Year Awards and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour in Sacramento. Your sponsorship allows us to successfully present these landmark events, provides you with significant recognition, and is an investment in the ongoing success of ECOS.

As you may know, ECOS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprised of a broad range of organizations and individuals who unite to create a single voice for local environmental concerns. Our mission is to achieve regional and community sustainability and a healthy environment for existing and future residents. ECOS works proactively with our members, member organizations, local government, and community groups to energize and create positive change in the Sacramento region as we work to develop thriving communities.

In addition to our day-to-day work as the region’s primary watch dog of land use and transportation project development, ECOS and Habitat 2020 (our Habitat and Conservation committee), operates with five overarching policy objectives:

Promote and reinforce Smart Growth principles
Improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change
Establish a regionally coordinated conservation strategy
Establish a sustainable regional water supply for both ecological and municipal needs
Achieve equity in housing, public health, and economic opportunity

43rd Annual Environmentalist of the Year Awards

ECOS has been hosting the Environmentalist of the Year awards since the early 1970’s. The awards ceremony is a time to celebrate and recognize the past year’s regional champions and community sustainability successes. It is also a time to reflect on the work we still have in front of us in the year ahead. We are currently considering nominations for this year’s awards. The 2015 award categories and honorees included: Richard Guerrero (Environmentalist of the Year), Veronica Beaty (Housing Advocacy), Sacramento Urban Agriculture Coalition (Environmental Justice) Michael O’Sullivan (Volunteer of the Year) and Dana Gray (Artist Recognition). All profits from this event will directly support the operations of the Environmental Council of Sacramento.

Environmentalist of the Year Awards Sponsorship Levels

John Muir – $2,500

Your name, logo and a link to your website on the ECOS website
A listing in the event program in the largest sponsor font size
Your logo on event signage
10 tickets
Verbal recognition during the awards ceremony

Rachel Carson – $1,000

Your name and a link (if applicable) on the ECOS website
A special listing in the event program
6 tickets
Verbal recognition during the awards ceremony

George Washington Carver – $500

Your name and a link (if applicable) on the ECOS website
A special listing in the event program
4 tickets
Verbal recognition during the awards ceremony

Ansel Adams – $250

Your name and a link (if applicable) on the ECOS website
A special listing in the event program
2 tickets
Verbal recognition during the awards ceremony

7th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour in Sacramento

The great Central Valley of California has been identified by the World Wildlife Fund as one of North America’s most endangered eco-regions. Preserving its remaining open space and agricultural land is essential for sustaining native plants and wildlife, and ensuring a high quality of life for ourselves and future generations. Habitat 2020 is the Habitat & Conservation committee for ECOS, and a coalition that works to protect the lands, waters, wildlife and native plants in the Sacramento region. Habitat 2020 has designed a conservation vision for our region called the California Heartland Project; and through it, we seek to create a connected network of parks, preserves and conservation easements on working farms and ranches. The main goals of the California Heartland Project include increasing access to open space for education and recreation, protecting the unique biological diversity found in the Sacramento Valley and conserving our agricultural heritage. The beneficiary of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour in Sacramento is the California Heartland Project.

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival stands out as a film festival that inspires and motivates community members to go out and make a difference locally and beyond. ECOS specially designs the Sacramento festival program to address issues that are relevant to our local community, featuring short films that look at themes of water conservation, sustainable development and energy, food and local agriculture, wildlife protection, environmental activism, and outdoor recreation. We continue to make this film festival a lasting and rewarding annual event to inspire communities in Sacramento to enjoy and protect wild and scenic places close to home. Over the years, the festival has become an important event in our community’s calendar and we aspire to continue bringing this service to our local residents and neighbors.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour Sponsorship Levels

Executive Sponsorship – $500

Recognition at the annual film festival
Logo on our website and Facebook page with a link to your site
Logo and link to your website inserted in our pre-festival e-blasts
Name in all of our press releases
Logo on the film festival poster
Prime location of your logo in the film festival program
10 second onscreen slide in our sponsor reel, played on loop before the film program
Personal acknowledgment from stage prior to the film screening
Your own table at the event for your organization (limited space)
Two passes to the film festival
20 raffle tickets

Associate Sponsorship – $350

Recognition at the annual film festival
Logo on our website and Facebook page with link to your site
Logo and link to your website inserted in our pre-festival e-blasts
Logo on the film festival poster and program
5 second onscreen slide in our sponsor reel, played on loop before the film program
Personal acknowledgment from stage prior to the film screening
The ability to have promotional materials on a table at the event
Two passes to the film festival
10 raffle tickets

Supporter Sponsorship – $200

Recognition at the annual film festival
Logo on our website and Facebook page with link to your site
Logo and link to your website inserted in our pre-festival e-blasts
5 second onscreen slide in our sponsor reel, played on loop before the film program
Two passes to film festival
5 raffle tickets

In-Kind Sponsorship

Benefits depend on the value of your donation. These may include:

Logo on the website and Facebook page with a link to your site
Recognition on the poster
On-screen slide credit prior to the film program
Personal acknowledgment from stage prior to the film screening
Pass(es) to the film festival

How to Sponsor

To donate online, just go to our website at www.ecosacramento.net, and click on the ‘Donate’ button on our homepage, or in the menu bar at the top. Please indicate the intent of the check (Environmentalist of the Year award and/or Film Festival and sponsorship level).

Alternatively, you can mail a check to Environmental Council of Sacramento, P.O. Box 1526, Sacramento, California 95812-1526. Please indicate the intent of the check (Environmentalist of the Year award and/or Film Festival and sponsorship level). Since we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donation is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Thank you very much for your consideration and please remember that your generous support makes a significant difference in our day to day operations. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net.

ECOS Comments on Sacramento Railyards Specific Plan Update, KP Medical Center, MLS Stadium, & Stormwater Outfall SEIR

July 27, 2016

These are comments from the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), with dozens of individual members and organizational members in the tens of thousands. ECOS has a history of over 4 decades of advocacy to limit sprawl, preserve agriculture, habitat and open space, and improve the quality of life while supporting growth with a vibrant and equitable economy.

Alternatives to the Proposed Projects

The glaring deficiency in this SEIR is the lack of an Increased Density/Intensity Alternative.

Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality, Climate Change

ECOS believes that the requested zoning should include a minimum as well as a maximum number of housing units. Virtually all of the mitigations for Transportation, Air Quality and Climate change involve the enrichment of alternatives to automobile travel to, from and within the project. Other than automobile travel, all the other modes of transportation benefit from higher densities and more residential development, irrespective of the correction of any jobs/housing mismatch. Furthermore, the expensive infrastructure improvements necessitated by the project will not be as efficient at the proposed densities as they would at increased densities.

The addition of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center (KP) provides ample basis on which to create plans for all-income housing development that would be synchronized with the creation of jobs in the project. Projects of this nature often favor early scheduling of commercial development, followed later, much later or never, by commensurate housing development. This pattern fosters the creation of undesirable patterns of housing, transportation, land speculation and delayed creation of public amenities that collectively depress the success of the integrated and holistic downtown desired by the City and by ECOS. An employer like KP includes one of the widest ranges of salaries imaginable, from low-skilled to some of the highest-skilled in society today. Of all the ways to bring a wide variety of income levels to the project, this has to be one of the most effective. This is an opportunity that should not be squandered by timidity.

At its current capacity for growth, RT is struggling to figure out how to keep up with the proposed growth in the region. Much of this struggle is exacerbated by the relatively timid densities being proposed, including this project. As is often proposed as part of other projects in the region, ECOS would like to see the development of an aggressive Transportation Services District as part of this project. We believe that a fee assessment on a dwelling unit equivalent basis would provide support to RT, or a private shuttle provider, as well as support the functions of the Transportation Management Association.

A further boon to the mode share for RT for trips to, from and within the project would result from a program to make every ticket sold for an event at large venues in the project (e.g., the soccer stadium, major events in public spaces at the Railroad Museum, etc.) also serve as a day pass for unlimited rides on RT. We understand this is being considered by the Golden 1 Center and should also be a part of this project.

To this end the following mitigation steps are presented:

Establish a minimum residential density, say 75% of zoned maximum density, for buildout of the residential and mixed use zones
Require project phasing that requires timely construction of housing units in conjunction with construction of employment producing development
Require establishment of a fee assessment on a dwelling unit equivalent basis to provide enhanced transit support as recommended above
Require that agreements are in place prior to building permit approval that enable all tickets sold at large venues within the project area to be used as transit day passes.

Growth-inducing Effects

For this project, ECOS has no qualms about inducing growth in the vicinity of the project. In fact, the more growth induced near the project, the better. We believe the developers and the City agree with us. All the more reason why there should be a robust Increased Density/Intensity Alternative.

Conclusion

The efficacy of an Increased Density/Intensity Alternative should not be underestimated. A vast array of desirable outcomes accompanies higher densities than are proposed by the project, a location already zoned for the highest densities in the City, but one that could be painfully underutilized by the project as proposed. Smart growth is most successfully enabled when the residential and transportation infrastructure development occur prior to the successive stages of build-out, and thereby structure and guide them. Without this, we will suffer from substantial pressure to put these essential features in parts of the City that are not currently zoned for them, further weakening the excellent General Plan.

Sincerely,

Alex Kelter MD, Co-Chair

Land Use Committee

Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)

Click here to see the letter in PDF.