Alameda Governance: Whither the TC?
This post wouldn’t seem right if I didn’t at least say “Wow!” Voters definitely made the only choice they could and in fine fashion yesterday. If ever there was a mandate to not put Development Agreements on the Ballot, yesterday was it.
Did I miss the memo that the City Council had decided to disband the Transportation Commission last year? There hasn’t been a meeting since the special meeting in Mid-August, which wasn’t really a meeting either. And staff isn’t even bothering to list it on the City Calendar anymore (See January or February).
And it’s not like there isn’t work that needs to be completed, unfinished is the Pedestrian Plan, which was suppose to come before the TC last April, the Bicycle Master Plan update which should have been before the TC last summer, the city’s Transportation Demand Management plan and the update to the City’s Long Range Transit Plan (LRTP).
All of these were approved for work by the city council which granted staff the ability to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for the preliminary work for these documents. In fact, all of them (except the LRTP) were scheduled to move forward well over a year ago, many of them have had countless hours of staff and volunteer time. You might be saying, “but staff cuts have made it difficult to staff boards and commissions!” And in fact, that’s what I heard last summer/fall when I inquired, but then I looked at all of the other commissions in the city:
| Board/Commission | Mtgs | Canceled | % Mtgs Canceled |
| Public Art Commission | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Transportation Commission | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| H.A.B. | 6 | 4 | 67% |
| Recreation and Park Commission | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| EDC | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Commission on Disability issues | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Golf Commission | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Social Service Human Relations Board | 6 | 1 | 17% |
| Planning Board | 13 | 1 | 8% |
| Civil Service Board | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Housing Authority Board | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Housing Commission | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Library Board | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Public Utilities Board | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Youth Advisory Commission | 4 | 0 | 0% |
(quick note, above data is from July 1 to Jaunary 31 and does not include December when many commissions/boards do not hold meetings).
Only the Historic Advisory Board, which has a very limited purview and the Public Arts Commission, which has no money to spend on Public Art have seen their meetings cancelled like the TC.
Heck, even the Commission on Disability Issues, which is staffed by the same department as the Transportation Commission, managed to hold meetings.
More telling that this is purposeful, not just work overload is that when it the TC Chair recommended that staff bring the Measure B Election Report on traffic for presentation, staff’s apparently responded that the council had not directed them to do so and so they would not. Yet the traffic report, sans council direction, was presented to the Economic Development Commission last October?
Which brings us back to the initial question. Did the City Council take a vote to eliminate this commission mid-work? And if not, who’s running the show here?
Updated: 7:28 – added note about meeting info.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Kathi Young
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:02 am
I think it’s disgusting that they can cancel the TC meetings, something that affects every one of us on the island, whether we have a car or not, but yet they make sure the Golf Commission is meeting regularly.
With the service changes for bus riders pending, as well as good weather (fingers crossed) in spring for riding around the island on your own two wheels, lets all make this happen. John, are you no longer chair of the TC? To hell with the staff, let’s hold a meeting on the stairs of city hall to show that we’re determined to make things happen!!
david burton
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:04 am
54% of carbon emissions in Alameda are transportation related. The city has commited, through its Local Action Plan for Climate Protection (http://casa-alameda.pbworks.com/f/LOCAL+ACTION+PLAN.pdf) to a goal of reducing Alameda’s carbon emissions to 25% below 2005 levels by 2020. If the council and city staff are serious about that commitment then the Transportation Commission, and the master plans you mentioned, are an integral part of taking action. I’m interested to hear an explanation for the inaction.
Michael Rich
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:20 am
Wouldn’t a vote to eliminate the commission need to be taken in public? The question you’re raising sidesteps whether you think the Council has some unstated reason for canceling the meetings. It seems clear that you do think there is a subtext. If you prefer not to speculate as to a reason so as to avoid coming off as paranoid, I understand that, but on the other hand, speculating about a secret vote amounts to the same thing, and doesn’t get to the underlying issue.
John Knox White
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:56 am
Hi Mike!
Actually, not speculating about a secret vote, more about whether the council is even aware that the TC doesn’t meet anymore and if so, are they planning on taking a vote to officially get rid of it?
John Knox White
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:58 am
Kathi,
I termed out last June so am no longer on the TC, but that raises another big question, there are 2-3 members who’s terms expire in June, do they get an extra year on the commission before terming out? or do they lose a year of council-appointed service to the city because someone doesn’t want the TC to meet?
Michael Rich
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:43 am
Thanks for the clarification. I can’t imagine that the Council would not want a forum for public input on transportation, given that traffic is a big concern in Alameda. I know there are efforts at different levels of government to consolidate appointed commissions to reduce overlap, streamline decision-making and save money. Whatever the plan is, if there is a plan, it should be communicated.
Jon Spangler
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:52 pm
The creation of the Transportation Commission (on which many of us worked for years) is probably the crowning achievement of groups like BikeAlameda, Alameda Transit Advocates, and Pedestrian Friendly Alameda.
Is it possible that the tangible outcomes of the TC’s work, like the landmark Transportation Master Plan, rebalance the auto-overloaded scales just a wee bit too much?
Are some higher-level City staff not very comfortable with actually implementing realistic non-auto solutions and therfore trying to kill the messenger of this carbon-loaded “bad” (anti-auto) news?
Shortcutting or eliminating the meeting of duly-appointed commissions–about art or transportation–is an unfortunate and anti-democratic choice that should never be made by City staff. But such choices have clearly been made at the highest levels of the City administration, without any public decisions or discussions by the Council.
Time to clean the administrative house?
Jon Spangler
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:56 pm
There are currently three unfilled vacancies on the TC, and at least one of them (John Knox White’s) has apparently been vacant since June 2009:
http://www.ci.alameda.ca.us/gov/bdcm.html?entity=5
The very slow pace (if there is any pace at all) of filling these vacancies strikes me as being totally inappropriate, and raises questions in my mind about the mayor’s intentions re: the TC and/or perhaps her ability to perform the duties of her office in a timely manner. (CAVEAT: I only know what I have seen on the City’s Web site and have not been able to research this with the City Clerk’s office or other sources.)
It does not take a rocket scientist to make sure that vacancies are advertised (by City staff), candidates screened (mostly, again, by staff), and to select appropriate individuals… Or does it?
Is there, as I suspect there may be, a connection between the staff’s “refusals” to support TC meetings and the fact that the TC is still missing three appointees?
Visit:
http://www.ci.alameda.ca.us/gov/bdcm.html?entity=5
Another case for the Alameda Transportation Commission | Stop, Drop and Roll - mindfulness in the face of a challenge
February 25th, 2010 at 6:12 am
[...] mentioned a little while back, the Alameda Transportation Commission (TC) has disappeared. Not even next month’s impending major AC Transit service changes appear to have warranted [...]