environment and transportation

Oakland is known as a Green City, but the City also faces many environmental problems that need to be proactively addressed. We face problems with our air quality due to emissions of toxics and particulate matter from stationary and mobile sources (which are especially harmful in the proximity of children and elderly). We face problems with our water due to toxics and debris that interfere with the health of the ecosystems of our watersheds, lake, and estuary. We face problems of blight due to illegal dumping, toxics in the soil, and groundwater from old development without remediation. And we face problems of waste from excessive production and inadequate systems for dealing with organic waste.

It is therefore imperative that all City Council Members and the City work to address these pressing environmental issues as well as ensure that our streets, sewers, storm drains, parks and other necessary environmental infrastructure are properly managed and improved. I believe there are five things we as a City should be doing to ensure both public and environmental health:

1. Promoting Sustainable Smart-Growth Communities:
Smart Growth compacts transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use with neighborhood schools, streets that work for everyone, mixed-use development, and a range of housing choices. Smart growth of urban communities requires well-managed infrastructure to ensure a clean environment and clean air. I have been the most consistent champion on this City council for infill development, especially near transit hubs, corridors, and in downtown Oakland. Not only does infill development save greenfields from development and reduce energy use, it also helps Oakland become a more environmentally and economically sustainable City.

Efforts are now underway in the Planning Commission to revise the City’s zoning in order to be consistent with both the sustainable growth principles adopted by the City Council and Green Building Guidelines in the General Plan. As a council member, I have worked to promote Smart Growth development all around District 5. I worked to ensure city participation in the development of the first official transit village in the country at the Fruitvale transit village; which blends residential, retail, and governmental services all located at the BART station.

I also advocated for and assisted with the development of the Cesar Chavez School with state of the art recreation facilities (which currently host after school activities and community services). I have worked to promote mixed-use districts that combine dense housing, open space (such as District 5’s Union Point Park or Peralta Hacienda Historical Park), and job-creating light-industrial uses to create “live-play-work” connections . Lastly, I promote the development of clean-energy related businesses and jobs on the army base and throughout Oakland’s businesses areas.

In addition to fostering the growth of Smart Growth communities, I also believe the city should work hard to foster the creation of new job opportunities that will arise from the growth of green technology. To promote green technology, I believe the city should work to development light industrial and other middle class green jobs at the Army Base and along the waterfront, establish a Green Enterprise Zone to attract new investment and jobs into high quality facilities with updated infrastructure, create workforce training programs for green jobs in conjunction with community colleges and high schools, and continue to emphasize “Oakland First” hiring policies so that as many green jobs as possible go to Oaklanders. These policies will ensure that Oakland remains at the cutting edge of green technology.

2. Promoting Public Transportation:
Public Transportation is at the heart of a livable City and a critical issue in District 5 (where over 60% of trips are by transit or non-motorized modes). Thus, we need to implement transit options as well as smart growth principles. The Fruitvale District has some of the most transit and pedestrian friendly streets in the City serving densely concentrated and mixed residential, retail, and light industry. My public transportation priorities include:

• Advocating for punctual and more frequent service from AC Transit, including the use of real-time transit information on high-traffic corridors such as International Blvd.
• Advocating to reduce the cost of riding AC Transit (which is one of the highest costing systems in the Bay Area) and reduce the cost of BART-to-bus transfer.
• Ensuring a quality community process for AC Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit System on International Boulevard (the highest ridership corridor in the City).
• Continue to use redevelopment to make bus and BART stops safe and accessible, as well as continuing to locate critical family services such as child care and libraries on transit routes as I have done with the Fruitvale Transit village.
• Continue to improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure (most trips in District 5 are below two miles).
• Work to reform our taxi laws to make taxi service a quality job and a readily available service for Oaklanders (especially those using the Scrip program)
• I would support adopting of programs such as transit-passes, parking cash out and guaranteed ride home. These types of programs are negotiated as part of MOUs between City labor unions and City management.
• I support the implementation of California High Speed Rail System

I am proud to say that the main streets (International Boulevard, Park Boulevard, and Embarcadero) in my district are equipped with pedestrian bulb-outs and islands, along with plenty of AC transit and BART lanes. I am currently working on four pedestrian-oriented streetscape projects on 23rd Avenue, Foothill Boulevard, Fruitvale Ave and High St. I think that Bus Rapid Transit, with its low fares and frequent service, will provide a great benefit to the residents of District 5 and to all of Oakland, and I believe the City should advocate for more Bus Rapid Transit routes on other busy corridors throughout the city such MacArthur Boulevard. However, it will be critical to build community support and offer solutions to problems such as parking, median strips, pedestrian safety and auto congestion.

I have also worked hard for the city to approve and construct Union Point Park and sections of the Estuary Bay trail. There is now a bike lane running from downtown Oakland along the Estuary to the heart of my district.

3. Promoting Green Building and Construction Standards:
I supported the City Council’s green building policy for City construction and the use of low-emission city vehicles. I want make Green Building Standards a reality by ensuring proper implementation of the City’s existing Green Building Ordinance as well as expanding it to include more provisions for private development. I would like to create a system that gives developers who agree to use advanced green building standards an expedited approval process through Planning and Building. In addition, these guidelines will attract and support green businesses and create a market for green investments.

4. Conserving Oakland’s Natural Resources:
I, along with Councilmembers Pat Kernighan and Jane Brunner, are busily searching for more federal, state and private funds to match Measure DD funds to complete the renovation of Lake Merritt and the the Estuary Bay trail. As touched upon before, I led the effort to create Union Point Park along the estuary, and I support the City’s policy to require every new development along the Estuary to set aside an easement for continuation of the Bay trail and to establish access to the waterfront.

I have also been a champion of city accountability for departments that manage our natural resources. When the Public Works Department has a daily average absentee rate of 35%, we are not doing out job to protect the water, air and open space resources of the city. I spearheaded moving the Parks Maintenance division from Parks and Recreation to the Public Works agency in 2004. As a result, parks maintenance has improved. To further improve park maintenance, I strongly advocated for a Public Works Management System, one which utilizes GPS and GIS to optimize maintenance routes and use of city resources. Such a system has been funded by the City Council and will be implemented later this year. I also believe in using performance measures to create accountability and goals, and I am the leader in ensuring that such expectations accompany the Landscape and Lighting Assessment District ballot this year as well as that of two years ago.

5. Reducing Pollution at the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland is the single biggest source of economic activities and jobs in Oakland. We must balance the need for continued growth of the Port with the need to reduce impacts on the Port on neighborhoods. A California Air Resources Board (CARB) study found that the Port of Oakland contributed a 16% cancer risk in addition to those from truck emissions in West Oakland. The Port has an obligation to address its impacts immediately. The Port also needs to install the technology that allows ships to turn off their diesel engines while at berth by plugging into an electrical source (a practice called “cold ironing”). I encouraged and applaud the Port Board of Commissioners for adopting the official policy to reduce diesel particulate emissions by 85% by the year 2020 and to enact measures to replace dirty engines on trucks that serve the Port.

However, air quality in West Oakland is still a clear health concern, as West Oakland residents have three times the lifetime cancer risk from diesel PM as other Bay Area residents( according to CARB’s recent study). CARB’s study concluded that 70% of this health risk comes from trucks. This is why the City needs to support the regulations proposed by CARB that would impose emissions standards on all diesel trucks driving in California. I also believe that, to make these regulations actually work, we need to address the working conditions and wages of truck drivers, so they can buy and maintain these cleaner trucks. The port needs to help the currently under-paid truckers buy cleaner trucks, as well as require that truckers entering the Port be employees of companies that pay living wage and provide benefits. This approach will not only improve air quality for residents of West Oakland, but for the many other residents of Oakland who live near the 880 freeway and industrial activities (which includes most of Council District 5).

Global Climate Change: To cut down on Oakland’s impact to global climate change, the City should try to take responsibility through several aforementioned actions as well as many other smart regulations and incentives in the following areas:

• Land Use: building green, dense buildings in infill areas and near transit
• Transportation Alternatives: supporting walking, bicycling, and public transit
• Consumption of energy and resources: reducing our consumption of products and packaging, increasing recycling and composting
• Greening: planting trees and increasing greenery
• Alternative Energy: using renewable energy sources for City facilities and encouraging renewable energy for private consumption. We should also foster public and private research and development of alternative energy sources and high efficiency technologies
• Oil Independence: I support the formation and undertakings of the “Oil Independent Oakland by 2020” task force.
  

Being Pro-Environment: In addition to the work I have done to promote infill housing, great parks, schoolyards, and infill development, I have acted in support of virtually every single environmental ordinance and proposal that has come through this City. For example, I:

• Supported the creation of The Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Program
• Supported implementation of Smart Growth Transit Oriented Developments including S-15 Transit Oriented
• Supported development zoning to encourage public transit use and take cars off the freeway
• Supported the Oakland Green Building Ordinance
• Supports the Oakland Zero Waste Strategic Plan
• Co-sponsored Green Food Packaging Ordinance banning polystyrene foam food containers and requiring the use of biodegradable/compostable containers
• Supported a green-fleet resolution in 2006, which directs the city to replace aging vehicles with alternative-fuel ones. Now, nearly 15 percent of the city’s fleet runs on alternative fuel
• Supported the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Policy that requires City purchasers to consider environmental attributes along with traditional purchasing factors such as performance, safety, price and local availability when making purchasing decisions.
• Supported the City of Oakland's City Racks Bicycle Parking Program, which has installed over 900 bicycle parking racks and lockers to accommodating over 2,060 bicycles in commercial districts throughout the city. Racks and lockers have been funded by the Transportation Fund for Clean Air in Alameda. Passed Master Fee change to make it easier for private entities to install their own bike racks on City sidewalks.
• Supported the City’s Tree Ordinance - The City of Oakland gives free sidewalk trees to homeowners/property owners that are willing to care for the tree.
• Supported ban on plastic bags in most retail stores.
• Wrote and passed Council resolution in support of the California High Speed Rail Project
• Supported a settlement package with the Waste Management of Alameda County that included programs and services to reduce illegal dumping, enhanced services for residential recycling, and public education campaigns on waste reduction and zero waste.
• Supported allocation of Williams Settlement Agreement funds to help create Green Job training programs and conduct market research on Community Choice Aggregation.