Get Off the Sidelines
January 23, 2019
What will our City look like in 2040? In these times, the only constant is change. Over the next 20 years, the Bay Area will change and Foster City will change. If you would like to have a say in what happens in Foster City and around us, you have to make your voice heard to the City Council and we, as a City Council, have to develop strategic relationships with the cities around us to ensure we represent you and our region to the State. If you don’t get involved now, be comfortable with coming along for the ride. Last week, I attended the New Mayors & Council Members Academy from the League of California Cities. The fight for local control is real … very real.
While I was at the training, a plan to bring more affordable housing to the Bay Area won approval this week from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board. The board voted 21 to 9 early Friday morning to authorize ABAG President David Rabbitt to sign the CASA — the Committee to House the Bay Area — Compact. The goal of the compact is to encourage the production of more housing for people at all income levels, preserve affordable housing that already exists, and to protect current residents from displacement in rapidly changing neighborhoods. (https://blog.bayareametro.gov/posts/abag-board-approves-casa-compact)
To learn more about CASA, visit MTC.ca.gov. While you are there, educate yourself on “Plan Bay Area 2040”. Plan Bay Area 2040 projects household and employment growth in the Bay Area over the next 24 years, provides a roadmap for accommodating expected growth, and connects it all to a transportation investment strategy that strives to move the Bay Area toward key regional goals for the environment, economy, and social equity. The expected population, job growth, and associated housing need is staggering. For example, you can expect around 1.3 million more people to call the Bay Area home by 2040 and 600,000 more jobs being created.
Regardless of where you stand on housing, one thing we can all agree on is we need to be represented. According to a letter sent last week to the President of ABAG from the Mayor of Millbrae, “We find it disappointing to discover that the work to develop the CASA Compact failed to seek out and obtain input from primary city stakeholders in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. We are the very cities that house more than two-thirds of the Bay Area population. This oversight resulted in a failure to address the root cause of the housing crisis: the responsibilities of the private sector development community and large employers to carry their fair share of meeting housing needs.”
Each year, the City Council holds a Vision and Policy meeting to identify, discuss, and prioritize key projects and programs that will be addressed over the coming year. This year’s discussion is scheduled for February 4, 2019, where staff will request that the City Council identify key work priorities for the next two years. The majority of City resources are used to deliver core governmental services to the community. However, this goal and priority process will allow the City Council to clearly communicate specific areas for focused policy attention. In preparation for the February 4th meeting, the Executive Team (consisting of the various Department Directors) recommends seven potential strategic focus areas that are relevant to City operations over the next two years. Each Focus Area will contain several goals and initiatives intended to address the challenges of their respective areas.
In addition to focusing on the next two years, our current General Plan is good through 2021. I believe we need to focus on what Foster City will look like in 2030 and work backwards from there to identify a path forward. To ensure you are represented, we need you to come to the table. Reach out to any Council Member ahead of the Policy Summit and share your thoughts. Let’s make every effort to ensure the policies we put forth on the City Council represent the majority voice of our City, not just the loudest ones.
Please reach out to me at sgehani@fostercity.org. I am considering hosting an event monthly if there is enough interest from you to join me on this journey. I hope to hear from you soon!
