Ever since Measure B on solar energy got ramrodded onto the ballot last November, I’ve grappled with the question why the environmental movement prefers to cut deals with politicians rather than muster greater support from a public that embraces the green revolution.
A case in point is competing events on Saturday a few miles apart in the San Fernando Valley.
In Panorama City, hundreds of community activists will gather at the High School at 8015 Van Nuys Blvd. for a program than runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s put on by the Valley Regional Congress of Neighborhood Councils, an official city organization. The program is entitled “Building Networks and Plugging into Power” and features sessions called “Road to Empowerment” and “Empowerment Camps” with the goal of building skills that will expend the reach of NCs and their ability to influence public policy.
Just a short distance away in Sylmar at the Lakeview Terrace Library, 12002 Osborne St., three Valley legislators will hold their own competing meeting from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with “environmental and renewable energy experts” and “environmental justice leaders” to build support for solar and wind power initiatives. The public is invited to the event sponsored by the usual list of environmental groups.
“Together, we can cut air pollution that causes health problems and global warming, and create good new green jobs in our communities,” says the email announcement of the meeting.
The three legislators leading this exercise are State Sen. Alex Padilla (former City Council president), Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (former councilman’s chief of staff) and Assemblyman Paul Krikorian (who wants to represent Council District 2).
So I presume they know all about the Valley Congress of NCs and choose to stage their own meeting rather than participate in the city’s official community empowerment event and gain support from 31 NC representatives and other community activists.
I honestly don’t understand this.
Everywhere I go around LA I find overwhelming support for renewable energy, conservation of resources, smart planning, better transportation, cleaner air and water.
Frankly, the green revolution and community empowerment ought to be allies in the fight against political institutions that have failed us over and over again. This isn’t an issue of ideology or partisan poltical advantage.
Or is it?
The meeting announcement sounds remarkable like the language used to try to foist Measure B on the ballot and many of the same players are involved
If you really wanted cleaner air and more renewable energy, wouldn’t you reach out to the general community for input and support rather than mobilizing narrowly-focused organizations?
Wouldn’t you work with the people struggling to bring real democracy to LA and full public participation to the political process?
I know I would.
Ron,
There are actually 5 meetings that I know of this Saturday. First is the Congress – at which you will be speaking.
Next is the meeting with the Assemblymembers -
COMMUNITY MEETING on RENEWABLE ENERGY Clean air, green jobs, and global warming solutions
LOCATION: Lakeview Terrace Branch Library 12002 Osborne Street, Lakeview Terrace (At the corner of Foothill Blvd & Osborne, near Hwys 210 & 118 in the San Fernando Valley).
FEATURING: Environmental & Renewable Energy Experts, Environmental Justice Leaders, Assembly Member Felipe Fuentes, Assembly Member Paul Krekorian, State Senator Alex Padilla
SPONSORS: Union of Concerned Scientists, California Environmental Justice Alliance, Environment California, Faith2Green, Pacoima Beautiful, Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, Communities for Better Environment, American Lung Association of California.
This event is free and open to the public. Food, refreshments provided. Door prizes!
Please forward this message to your contacts in the L.A. area–especially those who are more environmentally-inclined.
For information, Chris at ccarney@ucsusa.org
3)Senator Pavley: District Update
Greening the bottom line
On Saturday, May 30, please join me from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Calabasas Civic Center for “Greening the Bottom Line,” an event jointly sponsored by my office, the City of Calabasas and the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce.
You’ll receive information on how to save money by increasing energy and water efficiency in your home or business. At 2 p.m., presenters will discuss current environmental legislation and resources available to you.
The event will be held in Founders Hall, located in the Library Building, at 200 Civic Center Way, adjacent to the Calabasas Commons. For GPS and Google Maps, use the address 23910 Park Sorrento, Calabasas, 91302.
For more information, call Stephanie in my district office at (310) 314-5214 or visit my website at http://www.sen.ca.gov/pavley
4)Zero Waste:
Good afternoon Neighborhood Council members,
I wanted to let you and other stakeholders know about an exciting and important event coming up. We would love if you and others could join us on May 30th for the fourth Zero Waste Citywide Conference where the Policies, Programs, and Facility Plan will be presented for review and discussion by stakeholders as part of the City of Los Angeles’ 20-year Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan – your plan for a Zero Waste future!
Attached is the flyer for the event. If you would be so kind as to distribute as you see fit, that would be great. There is RSVP information included in the flyer or, if you prefer, you can simply RSVP through me.
4th Zero Waste Citywide Conference only three weeks away!!
The 4th Citywide Conference for the City of Los Angeles’ Zero Waste Plan is only three weeks away. The conference will be held on May 30, 2009 from
8:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to help the City achieve its Zero Waste goal by reviewing and discussing the Draft Policy, Program, and Facility Plan!
Ø Don’t miss the fabulous Recycled Art Fashion Show put on by Haute Trash which will feature many of your favorite Zero Waste LA friends and neighbors modeling fashions made from recycled products.
5)There is also some kind of historic L.A. event but I cannot find it on the LA City website. I believe that it is through Survey LA or Historic LA.
Too many events for one day.
The LVT Library is really tiny since the Children’s Museum took half the property, maybe even more than half. So they cannot be expectinng much of a crowd.
My guess is that the meeting is there to talk about the Children’s Museum right next door. The museum building was supposed to be a living example of the best in green building technology. Perhaps they are going to announce what they are going to do with the building. Since you have most of the area’s reps there, this is very possible.
Either way, they want to make sure those NC busy bodies are busy elsewhere when they start announcing plans for the museum.
PS – it’s Lake View Terrace, three words.
That is an interesting ccmment – and actually you could be right. Maybe somebody nearby LVT could go to that meeting and report on what happened there. Y’suppose? Not a spy, a person of interest. I hope so.
Oh believe me, I’ll be there.
Padilla is bound and determined to finish that museum by his own hand.
I bet he’ll be running for CD 7 next go-round, too.
First the need to get the fact that the Library is in Lake View Terrace, not Sylmar as their flyer says. You would think they could at least get that right. Paul lives in Burbank and Reps on a small part of the So. East Valley of L.A. so he gets a “by” on this one. But, Padilla and Fuentes both Rep this area and should know better.
But what can you expect from a Rep. that tried to ggive away the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, that isn’t in his area and another Rep who thinks State
Official shouldn’t take a pay cut because then the office wouldn’t be worth holding. This puzzle isn’t hard to figure out and they know who they are! We’ll get em in the next election!
First the need to get the fact that the Library is in Lake View Terrace, not Sylmar as their flyer says. You would think they could at least get that right. Paul lives in Burbank and Reps on a small part of the So. East Valley of L.A. so he gets a “by” on this one. But, Padilla and Fuentes both Rep this area and should know better.
But what can you expect from a Rep. that tried to ggive away the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, that isn’t in his area and another Rep who thinks State
Official shouldn’t take a pay cut because then the office wouldn’t be worth holding. This puzzle isn’t hard to figure out and they know who they are! We’ll get em in the next election! See you all at the Congress tomorrow!
Love what Nuch is doing-going with the same exact transition team leadership as Villaraigosa.
Wheres the outrage Ron-is this the change we voted for? Seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic.
Got to love those 2-always come up out on top while claiming to be…outsiders.
A little like this blog. Insiders re-inventing themselves as outsiders …so they can get inside again.
Love what Nuch is doing-going with the same exact transition team leadership as Villaraigosa.
Wheres the outrage Ron-is this the change we voted for? Seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic.
Got to love those 2-always come up out on top while claiming to be…outsiders.
A little like this blog. Insiders re-inventing themselves as outsiders …so they can get inside again.
Love what Nuch is doing-going with the same exact transition team leadership as Villaraigosa.
Wheres the outrage Ron-is this the change we voted for? Seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic.
Got to love those 2-always come up out on top while claiming to be…outsiders.
A little like this blog. Insiders re-inventing themselves as outsiders …so they can get inside again.
Methinks 11:08 likes the sound of his own voice a little toooooo much.
On his way out the door of The UTAH Governor’s Office, US Ambassador (designate) Jon Huntsman decided to leave ‘a parting shot’ en route to US Senate confirmation hearings for a next really LOOOONG (unwanted) trip to Beijing as our man in China! One of Da GUV’S PET PROJECTS [and soon to be anointed legacy in The Beehive State] was to jump start clean energy in Mid-Utah (at Beaver County) and it worked on his watch, too! A geo-thermal plant in Milford, UT since mid- April, 2009 has been selling electricity to Anaheim, CA! Soon coming on line at that location: Solar and then also some wind turbine energy nearby – maybe even enough to power the high-speed rail line from Disneyland to Las Vegas – then North [roughly paralleling Interstate 15] to Salt Lake City and also East [roughly paralleling Interstate 70] to Denver …. next: The world, literally! NO NEED FOR CLEAN COAL, to the great chagrin of some Sevier County, UT miners and truckers! No comment from uranium miners in nearby Piute County, either. Meanwhile, on Mainland China – the Canadians have been signing contracts for clean energy, showing up even before – count ‘em – five (5) Western Governors could find an airplane headed across the Pacific Ocean during a swine flu pandemic. Also: Meanwhile in Santa Barbara at the UCSB campus in Goleta – ‘CA energy gurus’ were making tentative steps on possibly deciding whether(!) to do an Environmental Impact Report for an ill-defined clean energy project at a CA location, ‘yet to be announced’! Isn’t there a soap opera [video taped in New York City!] called: “As the World Turns”? OMG!!!!! -30-
Whew, all these meetings and so little time. You might think there would be a central calendaring organized by now for local events that could be used for avoiding scheduling conflicts.
As for the State lawmakers, I just think they assign the task to underlings and the question of addressing certain useful groups and encouraging their attendance is not even raised.
Above all else, they are prima donnas and events revolve around them, not the other way around. Something like city council members. Concern for calendar conflicts and inclusion of key community groups is low on the list of priorities, if on the list at all.
Hearing the voices of green even in my sleep,
realizing that all these frauds want to be “greener” than the other guys. is getting to
make us mere mortals look more and more foolish.
Mother Earth will outlive us all. Being green
will not make us immortal. We are in good hands.
Meantime how about getting back to work.
If Angelenos really want change, these Angelenos need to stay in tune with the facts by following the money trail prior, during, and after the elections by visiting the Ethics Commission and CA Secretary of State Websites.
Supreme Court Nominee Member Of Mexican La Raza Group
President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee is a member of an influential extremist Mexican La Raza group that advocates open borders and driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor is listed as a member of the National Council of La Raza in an American Bar Association profile discovered by a news organization dedicated to exposing public corruption. The appeals court judge has already ignited a firestorm for publicly saying that a jurist’s ethnicity and sex will make a difference in their judging.
The La Raza membership is a fiery compliment to the now infamous Berkeley speech in which Sotomayor said: “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
The National Council of La Raza describes itself as the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, but it actually caters to the radical Chicano movement that says California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Texas belong to Aztlan.
The takeover plan is referred to as the “reconquista” of the Western U.S. and it features ethnic cleansing of Americans, Europeans, Africans and Asians once the area is taken back and converted to Aztlan. While this may all sound a bit crazy, this organization is quite powerful and its leaders regularly attend congressional hearings regarding immigration. The La Raza council also receives millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars each year.
Obama even violated his own lobbyist ban to hire a top National Council of La Raza official (Cecilia Munoz) as director of intergovernmental affairs. Munoz supervised all legislative and advocacy activities on the state and local levels and was heavily involved in the congressional immigration battles before the president issued an “ethics waiver” to make her part of his administration.
In return, the La Raza council has strongly supported Obama while never the less pressuring him to do more for the race. The group was quick to issue a press release lauding the president’s “historic appointment” of Sotomayor to the nation’s highest court, calling it a “monumental day for Latinos.” No mention of the judge’s membership in the group, however.
Judicial Watch
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2009/may/supreme-court-nominee-la-raza-member
Regarding the Ron Kaye article “Green Revolution vs. Community Empowerment — Why Are They at Odds?” he is off base and is usually better informed than that. A newspaper veteran should know that the first order of business is to fact check as the elected officials did not hold a environmental and renewable energy meeting nor plan any meeting. It was held and planned by a local community organization. In fact a number of them with lots of local NC representatives and other community activists in attendance. The other fact missing is that Assemblyman Fuentes took his whole day out to be in the community and did go to the Valley Regional Congress meeting. So he went to both. As did many. I find that good day long representation, with more public and general community participation than he is getting credit for. Someone owes someone an apology because no one is at odds accept maybe the author and his facts on this one.
Just to clarify, Saturday’s event on renewable energy was organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists, California Environmental Justice Alliance, Pacoima Beautiful, Faith2Green, Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, Communities for a Better Environment, Environment California, American Lung Association in California. The legislators were invited speakers. Over 100 local residents participated in an engaging discussion on how to increase the amount of energy that California gets from renewable sources, while keeping an eye on the important goals of reducing pollution and creating jobs in our commununities.
Chris Carney
Union of Concerned Scientists
Following up:
I went to the Saturday meeting at the LVT Library, it was a full house. Learned that Padilla and Fuentes are saying we will not make 20% renewable by 2010, and that the “mix” of the plan to achieve 30% by 2012(?) will make or break it.
The rest was dead-boring to me, and I *am* a concerned scientist. Little substance at this meeting. Lots of greenies in hippy clothes like my mom used to wear, tho’.
DWP rep was a smarmy scumbag. People were snickering at his shtick from the back of the room. Total liar. No one dared breathe the words “Prop B” that I heard. No one talked enough about properly utilizing geothermal, either.
Bottom line: nothing about the Children’s Museum. That plan IS coming sometime. Just waiting…
Although I can’t see eye to eye with all you wrote here, I must admit I do admire your way of writing.
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