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Greetings! 2017 is in full swing, and I am excited to
continue my work with, and for, the residents of District 1 and Alameda County.
My approach to leadership has always been centered on
supporting issues of safety and quality of life, and of course, ongoing improvements
to our transportation systems and infrastructure. Though these key issues don’t
always create sensational headlines, I believe they are critical, and have the
greatest impact on our communities.
Together with my fellow Supervisors, we approved the placement of a $580 million bond measure on the November ballot to support affordable housing projects and prevent
displacement of vulnerable populations including low-income residents, seniors
and the disabled in Alameda County. Also, this last year I was proud to lend my
support to Sunflower Hill, a District 1 non-profit organization that serves children
and young adults with special needs. In
terms of transportation projects, the installation of the Sunol Wayside Horns
project is underway to reduce community “noise pollution” generated from
spill-over of the locomotive horn beyond the approach roadway where warning is
intended. In addition, we have held
several meetings on the issue of revising our Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ordinance
including the number of dispensaries and cultivation sites. And, we are committed to providing clean power
to the people and clean jobs for our workers through the East Bay Community
Choice Energy program.
This is only a snapshot of the projects in store for
District 1 and Alameda County, and there is so much more left to do. Stay informed by visiting my website and
reading my e-newsletters as they come out.
It is important to me to keep community informed and
up-to-date on all of our work towards a better Alameda County –and even more
important that I hear from community members on a regular basis, so that I can
stay as aware and ahead of the issues facing our District and community as
possible. Establishing a strong, ongoing dialogue is critical to my success in
serving the people of District 1. Please do not
hesitate to contact me regarding County-related issues, and comments or
questions are always welcome. Reach me
at 510-272-6691 or at district1@acgov.org.
Sincerely,
Scott Haggerty
Ever
wonder what your Supervisor does during the weekly Tuesday Board of Supervisors
Meeting? Here are some of the board actions from the last quarter
which impact the residents of District 1:
- On January 10, 2017 the Board of Supervisors approved
funding from the Older Americans Act and Older Californians Act in the amount
of $6,151,769. These funds are
distributed to non-profit agencies to provide services to Alameda County
seniors. Click here or additional
information.
- On January 10, 2017 Supervisor Haggerty received approval
from the full Board of Supervisors initiation of a Sunol Quiet Zone at Main
Street, Bond Street and Castlewood Drive in Sunol. The Federal Rail Administration
Train Horn Rule provides an opportunity to mitigate the effects of train horn
noise by establishing “quiet zones.” In
a quiet zone, railroads are required to cease the routine sounding of their
horns when approaching the designated crossings. This item allows the County to
begin the process with the California Utilities Commission and Federal Rail
Administration.
- On January 24, 2017 the Board of Supervisors approved
$120,000 to Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments (SAVE) and $80,000 to
Tri-Valley Haven to provide victim assistance services. The funding is provided through the California
Governor’s office of Emergency Services.
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Alameda County has the fourth largest shortfall of
affordable homes in California- with an estimated shortage of over 60,000 homes
for very low-income families. Due to the
crisis, on the last November ballot the Board of Supervisors placed a $580
million bond to support affordable housing and prevent displacement of
vulnerable populations including low-income residents, seniors and the disabled
in Alameda County. The bond measure has
two parts distributing $120 million total for Homeowners Programs; and $460
million total for Rental Housing Programs. Also it will be broken down into
unincorporated areas, and by city, to ensure each region and city who wants to
participate is allocated funding. Half
of the $580 million will be based on a “regional pool” and the other half will
be distributed to the cities. The
measure includes a requirement that calls for regular audits and an independent
citizen oversight committee.
For more information on items approved at the June 28 board
meeting and remarks announced by Supervisor Scott Haggerty at its November 8
board meeting, click here and here.
The Influence of Affordable
Care Act Repeal for Alameda County
After President Trump’s election, the US Congress began
their process on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “There are still
many unanswered questions and a great deal of confusion and inconsistent
messages that are coming out of Washington D.C,” said Supervisor Scott
Haggerty.
There are many concerns over the complexities that come with
repealing the ACA, one of which is the inability to deny insurance coverage
based on pre-existing conditions, and the ability to keep children on parents’
employer based insurance until age 26. The “Obamacare Repeal-Replace Effort” means some
influence on Alameda County including:
1.
Federal funding reductions of Federally
Qualified Health Center clinics like Axis Community Health Center and Tri-City Health Center
2.
Removal of population from the Medi-Cal
eligibility given that there are approximately 100,000 newly eligible Medi-Cal
beneficiaries in Alameda County
3.
Loss of coverage and subtitles that make
insurance policies affordable
The Board of Supervisors will continue to monitor what is
happening at the Federal level, and advocate on behalf of Alameda County
residents regardless of the uncertainty ahead.
Please view this video for detailed opinions of Scott Haggerty.
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Supervisor Haggerty Elected Vice Chair of Metropolitan Transportation Commisssion:
At the February 22, 2017 Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC) meeting, Supervisor Scott
Haggerty was elected to serve as Commission vice chair for the two-year term running
through February 2019. Rohnert Park Mayor Jake Mackenzie, the
Commission’s outgoing vice chair, was elected MTC’s chair at
the Commission’s February meeting.
Supervisor Haggerty also currently serves as chair of MTC’s
Operations Committee. First appointed to MTC
in 2000 as Alameda County’s representative, Supervisor Haggerty brings 16 years of experience to the role.
Haggerty previously
served as the Commission’s vice chair from 2007 to 2009; as chair from 2009 to
2011; and as chair of the Commission’s Legislative Committee from 2014-2016.
“The
Bay Area is facing a transportation and housing crisis - presenting an urgent
need for inclusive and collaborative leadership. I am honored that my colleagues have placed
their trust in me to serve as vice chair,” Supervisor Scott Haggerty said.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is charged
with planning, financing and coordinating transportation for the nine counties
comprising the San Francisco Bay Area, a mission that also extends to
integrating transportation facilities and services with development while
promoting sustainability. MTC oversees
several travel resources in the Bay Area, including the free 511 traveler information system (on the phone at 511 and
on the web at 511.org, the
Clipper® transit fare card and the FasTrak® electronic
toll collection system.
For more information about MTC visit their website.
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Communities throughout California, and the nation, are embracing Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs for the procurement of cleaner energy. The County of Alameda and partnering cities are currently hard at work in effort to give the people “the power to choose”.
What is Community Choice Energy?
Community Choice Energy is a program by which local governments pool their electricity customers to provide electricity and related services on their behalf. As a result, the local community shapes the program, prioritizing desired benefits to meet community goals as they relate to: climate action, jobs creation, rate stability, lower cost to the consumer, etc.
Once launched, the CCE program becomes the default electricity provider, and all customer accounts are automatically rolled over. Customers continue to receive and pay their bills to the incumbent utility company (PG&E in the case of Alameda County), but purchasing options increase and rates associated decrease in most cases (depending upon level of “green energy” selected).
It’s important that customers know that they have the ability to “opt out” at any time and return to PG&E service at no cost or consequence.
Is CCE successful in California?
Currently, there are four successfully operating CCE programs in the state of California: Marin Clean Energy, Sonoma Clean Power, Lancaster Choice Energy and Peninsula Clean Energy. With these programs leading the way, numerous communities throughout the state, including Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties, are either in the process of, or considering, building/joining a CCE program. CCE delivers significant benefits, including:
• Cleaner power;
• Competitive rates;
• Better rates for customers who generate their own power and sell back surplus energy;
• Direct investments into local energy programs such as energy efficiency upgrades, electric vehicle charging stations and energy storage;
• New renewable power development, locally and statewide; and
• Local jobs creation.
What’s happening in Alameda County?
The East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) Joint Powers Authority (JPA), a result of 18 months of hard work and deliberations by the East Bay Community Choice Energy Steering Committee, convened for its inaugural meeting on January 30, 2017. The Authority is comprised of elected officials from the County of Alameda and all the Alameda County cities taking part in EBCE; the Cities of Pleasanton and Newark declined to join EBCE at this time, and City of Alameda already operates under its own CCE program. As a first order of business, Supervisor Haggerty was elected chair and Oakland Councilmember Dan Kalb, vice chair.
We want you to be informed about EBCE and we invite your participation as the program is developed — East Bay Community Energy Joint Powers Authority meetings are open to the public, and are scheduled to be held as often as twice per month as we aggressively work toward a launch by Fall/Winter 2017. The next EBCE JPA meeting is February 15, 2017 at 6:00pm at the Hayward City Council Chambers, Hayward City Hall, 777 “B” Street, Hayward, California.
Learn more about EBCE here.
Commuters now have a new option for securing a parking spot at BART’s
Dublin/Pleasanton Station. Metropolitan Transportation Commission is partnering with BART and Scoop Technologies
to maximize the efficiency of BART’s parking lots through carpooling. Commuters who carpool to the Dublin/Pleasanton
Station with the Scoop app are guaranteed parking until 10:00 a.m. The
app verifies that two or more people are in the car when it parked,
and Scoop coordinates with BART to verify which vehicles
belong to Scoop users. Read more about the program here.
Plan Bay Area is the San Francisco Bay Area's long-range
Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. The Regional
Advisory Working Group (RAWG) is comprised of local government staff as well as
staff from county Congestion Management Agencies and transit agencies, plus
representatives from interested stakeholder groups and any individuals
interested in the development of Plan Bay Area. RAWG provides input to regional
agency staff on work elements related to the update of Plan Bay Area and other
key initiatives that feed into the Plan. Group discussion follows each staff presentation. Residents are encouraged to participate and make their voices heard.
The next Regional Advisory Working Group meeting is scheduled for March 8, 2017 at
9:30am at the Bay Area Metro Center, located at 375 Beale St., San Francisco.
For more information on this and prior meetings, click here.
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 Wheels Partners with Uber, Lyft and DeSoto Cab to Offer On Demand, Real Time Travel Convenience in Dublin:
The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), operator of
the popular Wheels bus system in the Tri-Valley, announced an
innovative partnership with ride sharing companies Uber, Lyft and DeSoto
Cabs to offer the community of Dublin enhanced transportation options
and greater flexibility – all available in a format that’s on demand and
in real time.
With the Go Dublin promotion, LAVTA will pay for 50% of the fare, up
to $5 per trip with participating transportation network companies. To
be eligible for a discount, rideshare trips must both start and end
within Dublin city limits, including both the East Dublin and West
Dublin BART stations. Read the full article here.
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The City of Dublin will cut the ribbon on the Emerald Glen
Recreation and Aquatic Complex this spring.
The Wave at Emerald Glen Park is anchored by an indoor swimming pool with
year-round lessons, water exercise programs, and recreational use. The adjacent viewing area is not only a great
place for parents to watch their children learn to swim, but is also a party
room for birthdays and other small gatherings.
Outdoors, there is a sport pool for competitive swimming and water polo,
featuring eight lanes for competition, three warm-up lanes, and a shallow water
area for recreation use.
The facility includes a water slide tower and
children’s activity pool for use during recreational swimming times. The slide tower includes two speed slides,
three loop slides, and a large bowl slide, while the children’s activity pool
features a tiled beach entry, a large play structure with waterslides, a giant
dumping bucket, and a splash pad with a variety of spray features. The facility also includes rentable group
picnic areas with shaded structures; outdoor ping pong; changing rooms; a
community room for classes and rentals; an outdoor plaza; public art; and
amphitheater. The new plaza and amphitheater
will be used for concerts, the Dublin Farmers’ Market, and as a gathering
space.
Potable water will be used to fill the pools on a one-time basis and the
water play areas and slides will use recirculated and treated water.
Visit the City of Dublin's website for more information.
Source: City of Dublin
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